Flying of drones over Mumbai has been banned for a month by police in view of security concerns.
Police had detained an employee of a property website for illegally using a drone to photograph the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), a Department of Atomic Energy facility located in a high security zone in Trombay.
Three people were seen using a remote-controlled drone flying at a height of around 55 feet on Monday. The aerial movement of the object was captured on camera by a Professor working in a nearby institute, who informed police.
“This drone was used by an employee of a portal dealing in properties. Two more people had assisted him in surveying the area to upload the photos of the BARC campus,” said DCP (Detection) Dhananjay Kulkarni.
“To prevent the usage of such devices by anti-social or anti-national elements, which could create problems in the city, a ban has been imposed from July 4 to August 2,” said DCP (Operations) Sanjay Barkund Wednesday.
Violation of the law would be punishable under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the IPC, police said.
The debt-ridden Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is mulling to raise funds from the market and through its land component on both sides of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had recently formed a infrastructure panel and it is expected that the financial issue relating to MSRDC will also be raised in its first meeting.
State PWD minister Eknath Shinde claimed that during the Congress-NCP regime in the state, MSRDC failed to construct any new project across the state.
“Congress-NCP regime was nothing but the politics of revenge against each other and hence MSRDC could not work during their regime,” Shinde said.
He said his department has undertaken several projects of roads and tunnel development and that Fadnavis is backing his department.
“The difference between Congress-NCP and BJP-Shiv Sena government is the understanding between two allies and the complete backing of chief minister in all development projects,” Shinde claimed.
On the financial position of MSRDC, Shinde said, “We can raise funds from the market. There are several financial institutions that will offer us loans.”
“We will ask Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), private banks and investors to invest in MSRDC projects. We have also option to bring government bonds,” Shinde said.
An elevated road and a tunnel to widen six-lane stretch to 14-lane on the existing Mumbai Expressway is the dream project of Shinde.
“It is my priority to widen the Expressway and it will cost us around Rs 7,000-crore,” Shinde said.
He added that Fadnavis has formed a committee on infrastructure which is headed by him. MSRDC, PWD, Finance minister and their secretaries are members of the committee.
“The proposal of widening of Mumbai-Pune Expressway will be put forward in the committee and once it is approved, we will take a decision on raising finance,” Shinde said.
A highly-decomposed body of a man aged around 30, was found floating in the Vaitarna river, police said on Thursday.
According to Assistant Police Inspector Maruti Patil of Manor police station, the body was recovered yesterday evening after locals informed the cops that a corpse tied to a cement block with a rope, surfaced in the water.
The body bore multiple wounds and the police suspect that the victim was done to death and then the body disposed of in the river.
The police have launched a manhunt for the killer and the body, which has been sent for postmortem, is yet to be identified.
Offences under Sections 302 and 201 of IPC have been registered.
Two elderly men accused of sodomising a 22-year-old man for seven years have sought anticipatory bail from a local court.
The accused, Niranjan Kumar Goenka (80) and Jugal Kishor Rungta (70), moved the district court on Wednesday seeking anticipatory bail. The plea would be heard by the court on July 15, their lawyer Munna Khan said.
The duo was allegedly sodomising the youngster for last seven years on the pretext of facilitating a confirmed job for him at an educational institute, where the victim was working on contractual basis, police had earlier said.
The two accused are former office-bearers of that institute.
The incident came to light on Monday when the victim, hailing from nearby Bhaurad village, showed video clips of the alleged act at a press conference in Akola.
Meanwhile, Civil Lines police station inspector Subhash Makode said that the purported video clippings of the alleged act will be examined by a forensic laboratory.
In another development, the victim on Wednesday filed a complaint alleging that he was threatened with life by four masked persons, police said.
A case under sections 377 (unnatural offences) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of IPC was filed against the accused, he said. No arrests have been made in the matter so far.
In a miraculous instance, a two-year-old girl emerged only with minor scratches after being run over by a car here recently.
The chilling CCTV video of the incident shows two-year-old girl Zoya Khan following her mother onto a road and then being run over by a car.
While Zoya’s mother seems initially unaware of the child following her onto the road, she is likely jolted by the commotion behind her.
Watch as the child emerges with minor scratches and some bruises to her stomach from an accident which could have possibly ended with worse consequences.
The BJP on Thursday told the Bombay High Court that its recent observations that people cannot practice religion anywhere and anytime would affect their right to profess their religion.
However, the party informed the court that it supports implementation of noise pollution rules and that it would support the Maharashtra administration in doing so.
The Mumbai unit of BJP on Thursday filed an intervening application following certain observations made by the high Court last month that people cannot practice religion anywhere and anytime and that erection of mandaps and pandals on public roads is illegal.
The court had also raised concern over non-implementation of noise pollution rules during festivals. The court was then hearing a PIL filed by Mahesh Bedekar on the issue of noise pollution norms.
In the application filed by BJP’s Mumbai unit general secretary Sunil Rane on Thursday, the party said they organise and celebrate festivals by construction of mandaps and pandals, but it is done with reasonable care without infringing the rights of citizens.
However, by the observations made by the high court, the people’s right to profess their religion was affected, the application said.
When the matter came up for hearing before a division bench of justices A S Oka and Revati Mohite-Dhere even before BJP’s advocate Girish Kulkarni could argue, the court raised several questions.
The bench asked the party to clear its stand on whether it was of the view that pedestrians and traffic be inconvenienced by erection of pandals on busy roads and footpaths. The court also asked whether the party was against implementation of noise pollution rules.
To this, advocate Kulkarni replied in the negative and said the party was in agreement with the court orders.
“In that case you (BJP) can assist the court and the state government in implementing the rules. We are not here to hear grievances of such nature. We are here to see to it that the law is enforced,” the bench said.
The court also rapped the government for not properly implementing the rules or even setting up a redressal mechanism by which citizens can lodge complaints in cases where noise pollution rules are violated.
The Supreme Court on Thursday transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) the investigation into the criminal cases related to the Vyapam scam and more than 40 deaths linked to it.
The CBI will begin its probe into the massive admission and recruitment scam in Madhya Pradesh from Monday as more skeletons tumbled out of the Vyapam cupboard with the death of yet another witness coming to light.
The SC, while directing the CBI to probe all cases of the Vyapam scam and alleged deaths of persons related to it, also issued notice to the central government, Madhya Pradesh government and Governor Ram Naresh Yadav on a plea challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court order quashing the FIR against the state governor for his alleged involvement in forest guard recruitment scam on the grounds that he enjoyed immunity of the constitutional office he was occupying.
Congress had yesterday claimed 49 people associated with the scam had died so far.
The apex court’s order transferring all Vyapam-related cases to the CBI came after the state government gave its consent to shifting investigation from the Special Investiation Team (SIT) and the Special Task Force (STF).
A bench headed by Chief Justice HL Dattu said all cases will stand transferred to the CBI from Monday and the agency will file its report before it on July 24.
Before handing over the probe to the CBI, the apex court took on record the submission of Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, who on behalf of the MP government, said the state has no objection to transferring the investigation in Vyapam and deaths of people allegedly related to it for a free and fair probe.
“The Attorney General (AG) on instruction states that MP govt has no objection whatsoever for transferring the investigation of criminal cases relating to Vyapam scam to the CBI and the cases related to deaths of those allegedly connected with the scam for free and fair probe.”
“We appreciate the stand of the AG. In view of the above we transfer investigation of all criminal cases relating to Vyapam scam and death of people allegedly related to it, to CBI,” the bench, also comprising Justices Arun Mishra and Amitava Roy, said.
The apex court was hearing a batch of petitions including one filed by senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh seeking CBI probe into all cases arising out of the Vyapam scam. As the Supreme Court ordered an inquiry by the central agency, reports came from Bhopal of a special court being informed about the death of yet another witness in the scam.
The Special Task Force of MP police, which hitherto investigated the scam, told the court that Sanjay Singh Yadav, aged around 35, died from illness at a private hospital in Bhopal on February 8. According to his family, he was suffering from Hepatitis-B.
The Supreme Court, while issuing notices relating to the Governor that are returnable after four weeks, refrained from making any remarks on him when Kapil Sibal, appearing on behalf of petitioners demanded that Yadav demit office to maintain its dignity.
“We are not going to say anything on it,” it said.
The STF had registered a case against Yadav, a former Congressman appointed to the post by the previous UPA government, for favouring some candidates appearing for tests conducted by MP Professional Examination Board (MPPEB), also known as Vyapam. The high court, however, quashed it citing immunity from prosecution he enjoys while in office.
AAP’s Kondli MLA Manoj Kumar was questioned by police in an over a month old case of alleged land grabbing.
A senior police official said Kumar was called to New Ashok Nagar Police station in East Delhi for questioning in the case.
Around a month back, a case of cheating was registered against Kumar following allegations that he duped his business partner of Rs. 6 lakh.
“This is an old matter related to land fraud. Questioning of Kumar is on as of now,” Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi said this afternoon.
Vinod Kumar had alleged in his complaint to the police that Manoj used to work as a property dealer before venturing into politics.
Vinod claimed that he was Manoj’s business partner and had given Rs. six lakh to him to purchase a plot in November 2012 but he did not repay the amount.
Uttar Pradesh Mining Minister Gayatri Prajapati was booked on a complaint by social activist Nutan Thakur for trying to frame her and her IPS husband Amitabh Thakur in false cases of rape, police told a court on Thursday.
Uttar Pradesh State Women’s Commission chairperson Jarina Usmani, member Ashok Pandey and some policemen have also been named in the first information report.
After the chief judicial magistrate asked for an explanation, police said a First Information Report (FIR) (417/2015) was lodged under Sections 467, 468, 471, 420, 203, 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Gomtinagar police station.
The case was probed by sub-inspector Krishna Bali Singh, the court was told.
A ccording to the FIR, after Thakur filed a complaint against Prajapati before the Lokayukta, she was warned to stay away from this case.
Later, attempts were made to implicate the couple in false cases on the basis of complaints of rape by unknown women presented before the women’s commission.
While the address of the woman complainant from Etah was found to be false, different signatures were found on documents pertaining to the woman complainant from Ghaziabad.
Nutan Thakur submitted an application for an FIR to Gomtinagar police on June 10 and another application to Deputy Inspector General of Police (Lucknow) R.K. Chaturvedi the next day.
The couple also met the then Director General of Police AK Jain on June 15. They sat on a dharna in front of the DGP office on June 19 after which the FIR was surreptitiously lodged on June 20. However, this fact was hidden even from the complainants.
The information on the FIR was revealed only when police presented a report to the Lucknow chief judicial magistrate’s court on a complaint filed by the social activist on Thursday.
“The whole affair smacked of a large political conspiracy to give a clean chit to the minister and quietly bury the case. We are the complainant but were not even informed about the FIR,” Nutan Thakur told a news agency.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday dismissed his Pakistani counterpart Khawaja Asif’s statement on use of nuclear weapons, saying India is capable of securing its borders.
“Answer to every question is not necessary. I am Defence Minister of India, not Pakistan. India is capable of securing its borders,” he said.
The minister asked to comment on Asif’s statement that use of nuclear weapons was an option as they were not kept merely for show but as deterrents.
Asif had said in a television interview that if Pakistan needed to use nuclear weapons for “our survival, we will”.
On China blocking a proposal for action by the UN against Pakistan on release of Mumbai attack mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Parrikar said, “The matter is related to External Affairs Ministry and the Prime Minister.”
To a question on cross-border terrorism, the Defence Minister, who was here to inaugurate an orientation programme for newly-elected Cantonment Board Members, said, “It has come down.”
The Defence Minister refused to comment on the possibility of Myanmar-like strikes in the future.
“Such things are secret and cannot be shared,” Parrikar said replying to a question on possibility of Myanmar-like strikes.
The Supreme Court on Thursday transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) the investigation into the criminal cases related to the Vyapam scam and more than 40 deaths linked to it.