The Bombay High Court directed Maharashtra government’s Public Works Department to conduct fire safety audit of all court buildings across the state in a phased manner within four months.

A division bench of Justices A S Oka and V L Achliya said the recommendations submitted by PWD after carrying out the audit shall be accepted by the government and budgetary allowance made for the same.

The directions were passed during the hearing of a public interest litigation highlighting issues related to court infrastructure, including lack of basic necessities like toilet and drinking water and non-availability of basic laws online.

The court today said the basic laws of private publications have several errors in them and hence it is the government’s responsibility to provide the same.

The court asked the government to upload all the basic laws and amendments on the government’s website within two months. “This is an elementary thing which the state needs to provide and ensure that real time updates are possible,” it said.

Striking a divergent note from dominant ally BJP, Shiv Sena lavished praise on the contribution of former Congress Prime Ministers from Jawharlal Nehru to Mamnohan Singh to India’s growth story and said they too had made the country proud during their foreign visits and were immensely popular abroad.

Significantly, Sena’s comment came in the backdrop of BJP’s jubilation over the outcome of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s latest trip to the US and Congress’s attack on him over his remarks about corruption in India while on foreign soil.

In an editorial in its mouthpiece “Saamana”, Sena said contribution of former PMs P V Narsimha Rao and Manmohan Singh in accelerating India’s economic growth cannot be forgotten and also recalled the vital role of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi in expediting technological advancement.

“Modi has a remarkable persona in foreign nations and Indians who are far from their country like him very much.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi too were famous overseas.

“Nehru was immensely popular abroad. There still are people in Russia and America who sing praises of Nehru’s persona. They were popular at a time when there was no media or social media,” it said.

“While it is true that Modi is immensely popular, Rao and Manmohan laid the foundation of India’s economic development. They opened the doors and windows of the country to invite other nations and opened up India’s economy. How can we forget this?” it said.

Thus, even if both these leaders were not as popular, their contribution cannot be thrown into the darkness. At a time when the economy was in a bad shape, both these Prime Ministers gave a direction to the country s economy, it said.

The Bombay High Court asked the state government to inform by October 12 whether it had appointed vigilance officers for effective implementation of a Maharashtra law to prevent and eradicate evil practices.

A bench of Justices Ranjit More and Rajesh Ketkar also asked the state to inform whether it had framed rules as mentioned under section 11 of Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifices and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act.

The HC was hearing a petition filed by social worker Ramesh Joshi contending that though the Act came into force on August 26, 2013, the state had not appointed vigilance officers and also not framed rules.

Public prosecutor Purnima Kantharia sought time to seek instructions from the government whether it had issued notification to appoint vigilance officers for effective implementation of the Act.

The HC granted two weeks’ time and asked her to file a reply by October 12.

The petitioner said the Act was enacted to bring about social awareness in the society and create safe environment to protect common people in the society against evil practices thriving on ignorance and other inhuman and evil methods adopted in the name of black magic to exploit the people.

The petition said that section 5 of the Act provided that the state would appoint vigilance officers to detect and prevent the contravention of its provisions and rules made thereunder. A vigilance officer, upon finding such violations of the Act, is required to report to the nearest police station within the area of his jurisdiction.

Such a vigilance officer also has to ensure that speedy action is taken upon his complaint and give necessary advice, help and guidance to the police station, it said.

If the officers are not appointed soon, then the purpose of the Act would be defeated, the petitioner alleged and sought a direction to the government to act immediately on the issue.

After a video of a woman being beaten up by policewomen at Lalbaughcha Raja Ganesh mandal went viral, the two women constables involved in the case have been suspended.

About the incident, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said, “This is a serious matter. The guilty won’t be spared.”

“We have called for a report from the police within 48 hours. In these 48 hours, we will also ensure that action is taken if anybody is found to be guilty. This is a very serious incident and we will ensure that no person who is guilty of manhandling is spared,” Fadnavis had said on Monday.

The reason for roughing up the woman, believed to be in her early 20s, was being said that the victim had come for the darshan of ‘Lalbaugcha Raja’ and was trying to gatecrash from the VIP entry, when she was caught and assaulted.

A girl, whose video of being “manhandled” by some women constables at the famous Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh pandal here went viral prompting police to launch a probe, Tuesday alleged she was dragged and slapped by cops when she tried to enter the pandal’s VVIP queue on Friday last.

The victim, identified as Nandini Goswami, rubbished police claims that the video clip was an old one and also talk about her being mentally disturbed or depressed.

“It isn’t an old video, as claimed by the cops and I am not a mentally challenged or depressed,” she told reporters here today.

“I, along with my relatives, had tried to enter in the VVIP queue at Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh Pandal, after which the incident took place (on Friday). The cops had hurled abuses on me and my relatives, which led to an argument with them,” Goswami said.

The girl, believed to be in her early 20s, said while she was arguing with the cops, suddenly a woman constable began bashing her and others too followed.

“Subsequently, I was dragged into the pandal and then taken to police station where again I was slapped by the cops,” she claimed.

According to DCP (Detection-I) Mohan Dahikar, the matter is being probed by Zonal DCP Ashok Dudhe.

Also, the police would be recording the statement of the victim and the constables besides checking the CCTV footage of the spot.

After the 30-second video went viral and sparked a public outrage, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said, “This is a serious matter. The guilty won’t be spared.”

“We have called for a report from the police within 48 hours. In these 48 hours, we will also ensure that action is taken if anybody is found to be guilty. This is a very serious incident and we will ensure that no person who is guilty of manhandling is spared,” he had said.

The Residents Association of Vile Parle (West) and volunteers of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have warned of launching a protest if the “garbage” dumped near their housing societies was not removed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) immediately. Even as the residents say that the BMC was dumping garbage in their localities, the civic body asserts that it was ‘nirmalya’ (religious organic refuse) and not garbage, which is being dumped there, which is planned to be turned into manure.

The locals say that the garbage was being dumped in an open ground in a residential area adjoining the LIC office on S V Road. “We have already lodged an official complaint with the civic officials concerned on September 25. However, to the disappointment of the residents, BMC continued to dump garbage even the next day,” Bhushan, a resident of the locality, said.

AAP leader Mayank Gandhi said, “It is obvious that the correct procedure is not being followed in this case as garbage dumping is to be carried out in non-residential areas. The garbage has resulted in foul odour in the area and has caused significant inconvenience to the residents.”

“It is unbelievable that while the entire country is stressing on the Swachh Bharat initiative, BMC is making Mumbai aswachh (unclean)! The action of BMC, especially when the fear of dengue is lurking in Mumbai is impossible to justify,” he added.

Gandhi has also warned civic officials that if garbage is not removed within three days, he would hold a protest March at BMC ward office with his volunteers and local residents. However, terming the residents’ allegations as “baseless and unwise”, Assistant Municipal Commissioner of K West ward Parag Masoorkar said, “Residents are creating nuisance and not allowing our officers to turn Nirmalya (Ganpati wastage) into manure which will take only 15 to 20 days and finally this manure would be given to their own societies.”

“Surprisingly, few residents misbehaved with our staff during the course and we have lodged a complaint against them in a local police station,” Masoorkar added.

However, residents have alleged that BMC ground was given to a private contractor to create manure from the garbage.

Senior BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP) leader Ram Kapse passed away early this morning after prolonged illness. Kapse, who was ailing for last eight years, breathed his last at his Kalyan residence adjoining Thane district at around 4 am.

His last rites was performed in Kalyan on Tuesday. Kapse, born on December 1, 1933, was a former Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He was a prominent leader of BJP in Maharashtra and represented Thane in the 9th and 10th LokSabha.