The ongoing probe in the Govind Pansare murder case should not become a context for maligning Hindutva, the Shiv Sena said while holding that the accusations against right wing outfit Sanatan Sanstha, under scanner in the case, are “laughable.”

“Samir Gaikwad has been associated with the Sanstha and has been involved in its religious activities and thus, without investigation, people are demanding that he be hanged for his crime. All this is laughable and has lifted the veil from those who call themselves progressive,” an editorial in Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ said.

“A person belonging to the Sanstha was arrested on suspicion and investigation was also done thinking that the organisation is responsible for Pansare’s murder. Creating such an atmosphere has given a leeway to the actual murderers of Pansare and Dabholkar. An investigation must be done and the truth must be out, but Hindutva should not be defamed,” it said.

The saffron party also said that though it does not agree with Pansare’s views, his murder is condemnable.

“Though we do not agree with Pansare’s views, we condemn his murder in the strongest possible way. Not only Pansare, but murdering any senior citizen is inhuman and an act of cowardice,” it said.

But the Sena also said that people sharing Pansare’s views have chiselled the idea of Hindutva in a way where it will not be affected by criticism anymore.

In order to clear extra rush of passengers between Delhi and Mumbai during the festival season, Railways have decided to run tri-weekly AC superfast Suvidha Express from October 11.

The Suvidha Express will depart from Mumbai Central station on every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday from October 11 to 25 at 4 pm to reach New Delhi at 7.55 am the next day.

In the return direction, the New Delhi-Mumbai Central Suvidha Express will depart from New Delhi station on every Monday, Thursday and Saturday from October 12 to 26 at 2.50 pm to reach Mumbai Central at 6.55 am the next day.

Consisting of five AC-2 tier and eight AC-3 tier coaches, the Suvidha Express will stop at Vadodara and Kota stations en-route in both the directions, said a senior Northern Railway official.

Keeping the festive rush in mind, railways have also added additional coaches in many trains including Ajmer Shatabdi, Ranchi Rajdhani, Dehradun Express, Muzaffarpur Garibrath, Sasaram Garibrath and Amritsar Shan-e-Punjab.

The Bombay High Court asked the city police to file a detailed affidavit on its investigation into a complaint alleging that self-styled godwoman Radhe Maa is running a sex racket here in the name of religion.

A bench of Justice S V M Kanade and Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi was hearing a public interest litigation by advocate Falguni Brahmbhatt accusing Radhe Maa of obscenity and police of inaction on her complaint against the self-styled gowoman.

The police today submitted a report saying that an FIR has been registered and investigation is on.

Brahmbhatt, however, countered by saying that she has submitted additional information to the police but no action was taken in that. “Sex racket is going on. Young boys and girls are lured by this lady. On the pretext of getting ashirwad, they are forced to have sex,” she said.

She also submitted that the charitable trust run by Radhe Maa is not registered.

“Crores of rupees are collected,” she alleged.

The court then directed the police to file a detailed affidavit in two weeks stating what steps it has taken.

A local NGO has alleged that the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has failed to curb illegal constructions within its civic limits, leading to shrinking of roads and deterioration of open spaces.

“The way illegal constructions are mushrooming in MBMC limits, it’s clear that it is being done in connivance with the municipal officers, builders and other influential people. There is no doubt that Mira-Bhayander has become the new destination for illegal buildings,” Chief of Nagrik Welfare Trust, Ramashankar Tripathi said.

“In the last two decades, thousands of illegal buildings have come up in the city. Despite getting permission to construct only four floors, the builders have built unauthorised additional floors, even up to ten storeys,” he said.

The Trust had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) last year, in which it alleged that apart from its failure to stop illegal constructions, the civic body has not initiated legal action against the officers concerned.
Tripathi also criticised the MBMC over its failure to act in accordance with the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, 1966.

“The illegal construction is leading to encroachment, deteriorating conditions of open spaces, school and colleges. Even the state government authorities issued notice to the civic administration following Governor’s orders. However, despite that the civic body failed to pay heed,” he alleged.

The suburban MIDC police station has fined a 25-year-old woman for allegedly shouting and abusing bystanders at public places and creating a ruckus in the police station recently.

Mumbai police spokesperson Dhananjay Kulkarni said that on September 17 night, Sunita Yadav, a receptionist at a hotel in suburban Parel, began misbehaving with the driver of a taxi she had hired in an inebriated condition.

“She abused the driver in a drunken state and abused passersby, which prompted him to drive her to the MIDC police station. When police officers on duty at the police station enquired about her, she did not spare them either,” the police official said.

She was allowed to leave the police station after being fined Rs 1,200 and made to issue an apology under Section 110 and Section 112 of the Maharashtra Police Act which prohibits indecent behaviour at public places, but not before her antics at the police station were videographed by a cop on duty.

The video which was posted on Facebook, went viral today and purportedly showed the woman consuming beer, flanked by police officers, even as she told cops on duty, “Oye Madamji, Sunita Yadav. Haryana ki hoon main. (Madam, my name is Sunita Yadav. I am from Haryana)”.

Reacting to the incident, bureaucrat-turned-lawyer Abha Singh called the police response “soft” and said that police officers ought to have taken a serious note of it.

“I feel that the police should have slapped Section 353 of the Indian Penal Code, which has a provision of two years’ punishment for obstructing government servants from discharging their duties,” the lawyer said.

The prosecution in the 2002 hit-and-run case, in which Bollywood actor Salman Khan was convicted, had “tutored” its witnesses, his lawyer argued in the Bombay High Court.

Of these four witness, three had told the trial court that they had seen Salman getting down from the driver’s side of the car after it ran over the people sleeping on pavement, said his lawyer Amit Desai, arguing before Justice A R Joshi.

Salman’s Toyota Land Cruiser had rammed into a shop in suburban Bandra on September 28, 2002, killing one person and injuring four. He has appealed against his conviction and the five-year sentence awarded by the trial court in May.

Desai focused on the testimonies of the witnesses Muslim Nimayat Shaikh, Mannu Khan, Mohammed Kalim Iqbal Pathan and Mohammed Abdullah Shaikh. He compared their statements given to a Magistrate during an earlier trial and those before the sessions court which re-tried the case after a more serious charge of culpable homicide was pressed.

“If they were (trapped) underneath the car, as alleged by the prosecution, then how could they see the actor getting down from the right side of the vehicle?” advocate Desai said.

Muslim Shaikh told the trial court that he was under the car and heard shouts of people saying they had seen Salman Khan coming out but the prosecution didn’t examine the people who actually saw Salman coming out, Desai said.

Shaikh himself was injured and how was it possible for a an injured man writhing in pain to see who is getting down from the vehicle, Desai asked.

Also, this witness didn’t say whether Salman got down from the front seat or the rear side, all he said was he had seen the actor getting down from the right side. “This shows the witness was tutored,” the lawyer argued.

The Bombay High Court has sought a statement from Maharashtra government on Tuesday assuring that it will not use water from lakes and river for ‘shahi snaan’ (royal bath) on September 25 at Trimbakeshwar.

A division bench of Justices AS Oka and VL Achliya was hearing a petition filed by HM Desarda, a professor from Pune, seeking quashing of the state government’s decision to release one TMC water for every ‘shahi snaan’ as the state is reeling under a drought-like situation.

“What is the legal justification for what you (government) have done? The government has a policy which categorises its priority list as regards supply of water. As per the policy, supply of water for drinking purposes comes first and supply of water for such ‘shahi snaan’ purposes comes in the last and fourth category,” the court said.

“You (government) make a statement that no water will be used from lakes or rivers for the ‘shahi snaan’ to be held on September 25 in Trimbakeshwar,” the court said.

Government pleader Abhinandan Vagyani informed the court that the state had released only one TMC water during the ‘shahi snaan’ held on September 18. He added that no water will be released from Gangapur dam for the next ‘shahi snaan’ to be held on September 25.

The government in an affidavit filed on Monday told the court that the Kumbh Mela is being held for 12 years and is a religious and national event which includes taking ‘shahi snaan’ in the Godavari river.

The high court had on the last hearing come down heavily on the government for releasing two TMC (thousand million cubic) dam water for the ‘shahi snan’ held on September 13.

The Bombay High Court has rejected a plea seeking interim lifting of the ban on beef on the occasion of upcoming Eid festival.

In its order, the court pointed out that the state government had banned slaughter and sale of the meat of bulls / male calves, hence it is for the government to consider relaxation, if any.

Two petitions filed before the court had sought an exemption from the ban on beef from September 25 to 28 on the occasion of Eid festival.

According to the petitioners Aslam Alamgir Malkani and Ishaque Abdul Aziz Shaikh, the Maharashtra Preservation of Animals Act violates articles 25 (freedom of religion), 26 (freedom to manage religious affairs) and 29 (protection of interests of minorities) of the Constitution.