Noted Marathi writer Pradnya Pawar on Tuesday said she was returning all her literary awards and prize money totaling Rs 1.13 lakh to the state government to protest the “culture of intolerance” in the country.

Pawar cited Dadri lynching and killing of rationalists Dabholkar, Pansare and Kalburgi as instances that show “growing intolerance”. “I have taken the decision to protest against the intolerant attitude and ‘dandelashahi’ (dictatorship) in the country in the last one, one-and-half years,” she said.

“Those returning the awards have started a movement. My gesture is to boost this movement. Maharashtra has led intellectual movement in the country. I cannot understand why is there silence in the recent past. “More hands should come out in support of my stance,” she said.

Pawar has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis saying, “We are living in an era of undeclared emergency.” Urdu novelist Rahman Abbas, who lives in Mira Road near Mumbai, on Monday returned the Maharashtra State Urdu Sahitya Academy Award as a mark of protest against the Dadri lynching incident.

“After the Dadri lynching, the Urdu writing community has been quite unhappy. Therefore, I decided to return the award. There are some other Urdu writers who also want to join the protest. It is high time we stood up to the injustice surrounding us,” he said.

Abbas had in 2011 won the award for his third novel ‘Khuda Ke Saaye Mein Aankh Micholi’ (Hide and Seek in the Shadow of God). Earlier, noted writers Nayantara Sahgal and poet Ashok Vajpeyi had returned their literary honours to protest what they termed as an “assault on right to freedom of both life and expression”.

The Bombay High Court directed the Maharashtra government to extend till November 30 the tenure of a one-man panel appointed to probe the alleged irregularities in allotment of flats under the Chief Minister’s discretionary housing quota since 1982.

The direction was given by Justices Abhay Oka and V L Achilya who acted on a request made by the committee.

The bench, on October 9, last year, had appointed Justice J A Patil, a retired judge of the high court, to probe the allegations of double or multiple allotment of flats in a public interest litigation filed by activist KetanTirodkar.

The HC had asked the committee to probe the allegations and file a report before it. The tenure of this committee was to end on October 15, this year.

The secretary of the Justice J A Patil Committee today placed a letter before the court seeking more time on the ground that the work involved was of a great magnitude.

The letter further said that Justice Patil had already started writing the report and he would conclude by October 31. However, some more time was needed to wind up the matter.

While extending the tenure of the committee to November 30, the bench appreciated the voluntary gesture of Justice Patil of not drawing salary for the period of extended tenure.

The PIL, posted for hearing on November 19, alleged that many people got more than one flat under the CM’s quota by making false declarations. It also said most beneficiaries are politicians or those who are close to politicians.

Pending recommendations by this committee, the high court had earlier asked the state to continue its ongoing action against those who got the flats by filing false affidavits.

The judges had also asked such beneficiaries to return the flats or pay up the price if they have sold off the flats.

The court had ordered that the government must ensure that those who have got multiple flats hand over the possession back to the authorities.

The HC has asked the Patil committee to scrutinise all the applications for flats since 1982, and look for the cases where a single person has got more than one flat.

The government has filed FIRs against 27 people for getting flats fraudulently, the court was informed.

The allotment under the CM’s quota has now been stopped following the court’s order. Under the scheme, the flats were supposed to be given to freedom fighters, art personalities and sports persons.

Former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri on Tuesday urged India and Pakistan to spread positivity through a ‘healing balm’ to improve the deteriorating relations between the two neighbouring countries.

“It is incumbent on India and Pakistan to realise that their founding fathers had a completely different view on how Hindus and Muslims would conduct themselves in reference to each other. It’s a pity that this is not the case today. Men of goodwill in both the countries should try to apply a healing balm,” Kasuri told the media during his visit to Mani Bhawan, the focal point of Mahatma Gandhi’s political activities in Mumbai between 1917 and 1934.

“It is very easy to spread negativity but very difficult and rewarding to spread positivity. My book is an attempt to expand the convergence between the two countries. It’s a privilege to be here. The Indian freedom struggle depicts that we had a common history when we were fighting against British whether it is India or Pakistan. Sincere efforts were made by Mahatma Gandhi and Mohammed Ali Jinnah to keep the two people together,” Kasuri added.

Kasuri’s book ‘Neither a Hawk nor a Dove’ was launched in Mumbai yesterday amid protest by the Shiv Sena.

A 15-member delegation of the Mumbai Congress, led by president Sanjay Nirupam, met Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao seeking lowering of power tariffs in the metropolis.

Nirupam said the delegation comprising senior leaders and office-bearers discussed the issue of indiscriminate increase in power tariff in the city.

He demanded a CAG audit of all the power discoms and said the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) and discoms link should be probed. MERC takes decisions on power tariffs.

Nirupam said the tariffs should be reduced to provide relief to people.

The Congress leader said the Governor assured him that he would call a meeting of Energy Department officials and take up necessary steps.