The family of a 35-year-old man, who was killed in a road accident in 2011, has been awarded Rs. 29.36 lakh compensation by the Thane District Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT).

On August 30, 2011, Jatashankar Yadav, employed with a private firm, was travelling in a jeep from Nagothane to Goregaon when his vehicle was hit by a speeding tanker. He was injured in the accident and later died at a local hospital.

His wife Hiravati, children Jaisingh, Soni and Sachin and father Shivmurti informed the MACT that Jatashankar was earning Rs. 20,000 per month and was the sole breadwinner. They demanded a compensation of Rs. 30 lakh for his death.

They claimed that the tanker driver was rash and negligent and hence, lodged a claim on the New India Assurance Company and the vehicle’s owner – Ashish Transport Company.

As the vehicle owner remained absent during hearing, the case was decided ex-parte against him.

However, the insurance company contested the claim and put forth several arguments, including that the jeep driver was negligent resulting in the accident and also that owner of the jeep and its insurer were not made parties to the claim.

District Judge and MACT member K D Vadane, after hearing both the parties, dismissed the insurance company’s claim.

He observed that the insurance company admitted to the occurrence of the accident, but did not adduce any corroborative piece of evidence to support its contention that the mishap occurred due to sole negligence on the part of driver of the jeep in which Jatashaknar was travelling.

“The FIR copy and spot panchanama show that at the relevant time of the incident driver of tanker drove in high speed…Therefore crime was registered against him. Thus, the contention of the applicants is corroborated by the police papers on record,” the judge noted.

“Therefore, I come to conclusion that impugned accident occurred due to sole negligence on the part of driver of tanker, and there was no negligence on the part of driver of the jeep,” he observed in a recent order.

The judge awarded a total compensation of Rs. 29,36,664 to be paid to the claimants jointly and severally by the vehicle’s owner and the insurance firm.

He ordered that the amount be distributed as Rs. 6 lakh each to three children by way of Fixed Deposit for five years. His father be given Rs. 4 lakh and Rs. 2 lakh be invested in the name of the widow by way of Fixed Deposit for five years. In addition, the widow be given the balance amount along with the interest as realised.

Pfizer has entered into a business transfer agreement to sell its Thane plant as a going concern to Vidhi Research and Development for Rs. 178 crores.

In a BSE filing, Pfizer said that it has entered into a Business Transfer Agreement (BTA) for the transfer of the company’s business at the Thane plant as a going concern to Vidhi Research and Development in accordance with the terms of the agreement for a lump sum consideration of Rs. 178 crores. “Upon the conclusion of the BTA, all current workmen at the Thane Plant shall be transferred to the buyer so as to facilitate manufacturing operations,” the filing said.

In July, Pfizer announced that it will close its over 50-year old Thane plant from September 16, 2015, which was lying idle since 2013. “The decision to close the site is based on an assessment of its long-term viability and its ability to achieve the needed production. There has practically been no production activity at this plant since 2013,” a Pfizer spokesperson had said.

The plant, which employed 212 workers, had offered a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) last year. This was taken up by as many as 132 workmen.

The Thane plant was commissioned in the 1960s. It supplied drugs to both domestic and international markets.

Bombay High Court has refused to drop a plea challenging Amit Shah’s acquittal in Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case.

Rubabuddin Shaikh, brother of Sohrabuddin Shaikh, killed in an alleged fake encounter in Gujarat, on Tuesday moved the Bombay High Court seeking to withdraw his petition challenging the discharge of BJP President Amit Shah by a Mumbai court in the case. The application was filed in the court of Justice Anuja Prabhudesai seeking to withdraw his petition in which he had challenged Shah’s discharge by the trial court in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsiram Prajapati fake encounter killing cases. Shaikh pleaded that he wanted to withdraw the petition as there was some “communication gap” with his lawyer. The Judge posted the matter for hearing after two weeks.

Rubabuddin’s lawyer Vijay Hiremath said, “Rubabuddin has gone to the High Court seeking withdrawal of his petition on his own and has not consulted me. Therefore, I am not aware of the grounds cited in that application for withdrawing the petition.” On December 30, 2014, a CBI Court in Mumbai had discharged Shah in the alleged fake encounter cases saying there existed “no case” against him and that he had been implicated for “political reasons”.

The trial court had also ordered dropping of charges of murder, abduction and criminal conspiracy against the BJP Chief.

Sohrabuddin, an alleged gangster whom the Gujarat police had claimed to have links to Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, and his wife Kausar Bi, were allegedly abducted by Gujarat ATS from Hyderabad on their way to Sangli in Maharashtra, according to prosecution in the trial court. Sohrabuddin was killed in the alleged fake encounter near Gandhinagar in November 2005 after which his wife had disappeared and was believed to have died.

Tulsiram, an aide of the alleged gangster and an eyewitness to the encounter, was also allegedly killed by police at Chapri village in Banaskantha district in Gujarat in December, 2006.

Shah, who was the then Minister of State for Home in Gujarat, was alleged to have plotted the killings with some police officers.

He was arrested by CBI in July, 2010 and granted bail by the Supreme Court three months later on October 29 on the condition that he will not enter Gujarat.

The Sohrabuddin killing case was transferred to Mumbai in September, 2012 at CBI’s request for a fair trial. In 2013, the Supreme Court had clubbed Tulsiram Prajapati’s encounter killing case with that of Sohrabuddin.

The Maharashtra cabinet cleared two new Mumbai metro railway line routes, an official in the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Office said.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority ( MMRDA), will complete both the Andheri East to Dahisar East route and the Dahisar East to D N Nagar route, which are expected to be completed by March 2019, at a total cost of Rs. 12,618 crore, the official said.

The Dahisar East to D N Nagar route, with 17 metro railway stations, is part of the Dahisar-Charkop-Bandra- Mankhurd Metro II project, whose estimated cost of the 18.6 km route is Rs. 6,410 crore, the official said.

The Andheri East to Dahisar East route which is 16.5 km long would have 16 stations and cost Rs. 6,208 crore, the police official said.

The fare collected on both routes would be Rs. 10 for the first three kilometres and Rs. 20 for upto 12 km, while the fare would be Rs. 30 for a distance of more than 12 km, the official said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to lay the foundation stone for these projects on October 11, the official said.

Asserting that law applies to every religion and it cannot be violated in the name of religious festivals; the Bombay High Court appreciated the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) for proper management of the famous Mount Mary Fair in suburban Bandra.

Mount Mary fair, held to celebrate the birthday of Mother Mary, draws huge crowds every year from all parts of the city and nearby places and is considered a historic event by members of all communities.

A division bench of Justices A S Oka and V L Achiliya was hearing a petition by Lillian Pais, a resident of Bandra, stating that every year during the fair vehicular and pedestrian traffic is disrupted as several stalls are put up without permission.

The civic body today told the court that this year 183 illegal stalls were removed following complaints and several steps were taken to ensure that there was no obstruction to traffic.

“Law of the land applies to every religion. In the name of religious festivals, no one can violate the law and put up illegal pandals and stalls on public roads. Only in this festival (Mount Mary Fair) we are noticing the civic body has been able to reduce the number of stalls,” Justice Oka said.

The civic body informed the court that henceforth two months prior to the fair every year a policy will be formed by it and will be published on its website and the local ward office.

Directing the Corporation to give wide publicity to the policy in local newspapers, the court disposed of the petition saying the petitioners can approach the civic body if it has any problems or suggestions about the policy.

The court also directed the concerned Assistant Municipal Commissioner to ensure that no stall is illegally put up and garbage from the area is removed immediately after the fair ends.

Maharashtra government’s Naxal surrender policy has yielded positive results with 502 Maoists giving up arms in the last 10 years and have been rehabilitated.
Of these, 482 rebels have surrendered alone in Gadchiroli district, considered as a Naxal hotbed.

The Maharashtra government had launched a Naxal surrender policy on August 29, 2005 which has been extended time and again till date, official sources from Anti-Naxalite Operations (ANO) of Maharashtra Police said.

Around 502 Naxals have given up arms in the last 10 years. The first rebel to surrender was Madan Anna alias Balan Ballya in 2005, they said.

“Police and district authorities motivate Naxals to give up their arms. In 2013 and 2014 around 49 and 40 Naxals surrendered respectively while 25 Maoists turned themselves in till September this year,” sources added.

Among the ultras who have surrendered are one state zonal committee member, six divisional committee members, 16 commanders, 24 deputy commanders and 218 dalam members besides 110 Gram rakshak, 127 Sangam members, they said.

According to them, while men are given skill training through Industrial Training Institute and taught motor vehicle driving, women are trained in sewing and selling vegetables.

In Gadchiroli, Aheri, Sironcha, Bhamragarh and Etapalli are the most affected areas.

A Mumbai court reserved its order till Wednesday on a CBI plea seeking permission to interrogate in jail former media magnate Indrani Mukerjea and two other accused in the Sheena Bora murder case.

“The order will be passed on Wednesday,” said R V Adone, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of Esplanade court.

Seeking permission to quiz Indrani, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and her driver Shyam Rai in jail, CBI, which had moved an application, told the court that it has just taken over the investigation from Mumbai Police and interrogation of the trio was necessary.

The agency submitted that if the permission (for interrogation) is not given then it will have to rely on the investigation conducted by Mumbai Police.

CBI has prayed for grant of at least 3 weeks time to interrogate the accused in jail.

Indrani’s lawyer GunjanMangala told the court that she does not have any objection to her client being interrogated by CBI in jail.

The 43-year-old prime accused in the case was rushed to JJ Hospital on Friday after collapsing in Byculla prison after suspected overdose of anti-depressant pills.

According to doctors attending on her, she is conscious and is responding positively to medication.

Khanna’s lawyer ShreyanshMithare also said he is not opposed to interrogation if there is any new ground.

However, Rai’s lawyer ShrinivasBhave objected to the CBI plea and said the police had sought judicial remand saying that investigation in the case was over and no further custody was required.

Yesterday, the local court had extended the trio’s judicial custody till October 19.

It had also asked JJ Hospital authorities to furnish the medical report of Indrani.

On Saturday, Indrani’s lawyer had moved a court here for permission to meet her in hospital after which the court had sought a report on her health