The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena on Wednesday moved the Bombay High Court seeking permission to hold its annual Dussehra rally at the Shivaji Park in central Mumbai.
The petition was filed by the Shiv Sena and its secretary Anil Desai.
The plea said the party was constrained to approach the HC as the Mumbai civic body was yet to take a decision on their applications submitted in August seeking permission for the rally.
The petition sought directions to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to forthwith grant permission for the Sena’s Dussehra rally at the Shivaji Park.
The petition was mentioned before a division bench headed by Justice R D Dhanuka on Wednesday, seeking urgent hearing.
The bench posted it for hearing on Thursday.
The Sena in its plea, filed through advocate Joel Carlos, said the party was holding the Dussehra rally every year at the Shivaji Park since 1966 and the civic body had always permitted it.
The Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government, which comprised the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, collapsed in June this year after a revolt led by Eknath Shinde against the Sena leadership.
Shinde was later sworn in as the chief minister with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy.
Raju Srivastav Indian comedian dies at the age to 58 year at AIIMS hospital Delhi. Raju Srivastav had a heart attack on August 10 and admitted to hospital after complaining the chest pain while working out.
Insurgent group NSCN-IM and government representatives will resume their peace talks here on Wednesday to find a permanent solution to the Naga issue.
A day before resuming dialogue with the government, NSCN-IM said the outfit stands by its demand for unification of Naga inhabited areas and a separate flag, and these are “non-negotiable”.
In an editorial in its mouthpiece of local media, the NSCN-IM also said it is “ironic” to point out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “who loves to advertise” his achievements, is expected to take the Naga issue to a logical conclusion as the stalled Indo-Naga talks pick up the threads with a focus on the Framework Agreement (FA) and formulated papers.
The editorial said seven years ago, when Modi took the initiative to supervise the “high-profile” FA signing ceremony on August 3, 2015 at his residence, it generated much hype and hope going by the tone of his highly enchanting speech.
The prime minister took pride in announcing to all political leaders who mattered that he has solved the longest surviving insurgency in Southeast Asia. Going beyond that, the ceremony was telecast live all over the world to put on record his achievement in solving the Naga issue, it said.
“Modi cannot simply shy away from the Naga issue but have a relook through the prism of the Framework Agreement at his own political brainchild. The credit he has taken in bringing about the FA should be unerringly interpreted to take forward in solving the Naga issue,” the editorial said.
The stand of the NSCN-IM on the FA has been distinctly stated time and again. The May 31, 2022 decision of the (Naga) “National Assembly” and the solemn declaration (resolution) adopted on August 26, 2022 by the Naga National Workers of NSCN from Nagaland reaffirming “one people, one nation” and to stand by the FA is on record, it said.
“The unifying principle of ‘one people, one nation’ symbolised by god-given Naga Nation Flag is non-negotiable in the name of Naga political solution,” it said.
Nagaland’s neighbouring states — Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh — have been vehemently opposed to the idea of unification of Naga inhabited areas under their jurisdictions.
The government of India had signed the FA with major Naga insurgent group NSCN-IM on August 3, 2015 in the presence of Modi to find a permanent solution to the vexed issue.
The agreement came after more than 80 rounds of negotiations spanning 18 years, with the first breakthrough made in 1997 when the ceasefire agreement was sealed after decades of insurgency in Nagaland which started soon after India’s independence in 1947.
However, the talks with the NSCN-IM are currently going nowhere as the group has been insisting on a separate Naga flag and constitution, a demand rejected by the central government.
Separately, the government is also holding peace parleys with splinter groups of the NSCN after entering into ceasefire agreements. The groups that have entered into ceasefire agreements are: NSCN-NK, NSCN-R, NSCN K-Khango and NSCN (K) Niki.
A two-day session of the Gujarat Assembly will begin on Wednesday, the last one before a new House is elected by this year-end.
It is mandatory to convene a session of the House once in six months. The last Assembly session was held in April to pass the state budget.
The state Assembly elections are due in December this year.
On the first day of the session on Wednesday, the House will discuss the state BJP government’s proposal to withdraw a bill which was passed in April for tackling stray cattle menace in cities, an official said.
Earlier, following protests by the Maldhari community (cattle-rearers) against the bill, Gujarat BJP chief CR Paatil in April said he had requested Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel to reconsider it, as the existing rules to control cattle menace in municipal corporation areas were sufficient and there was no need for a new law.
Gujarat government spokesperson Jitu Vaghani had also later announced that CM Patel decided not to implement the bill.
Hundreds of cattle-rearers held a ‘mahapanchayat’ near Gujarat capital Gandhinagar on Sunday to demand scrapping of the bill
Speedy truck run down on 6 people sleeping on divider in Delhi 6
A speeding truck ran over six people sleeping on a road divider in the Seemapuri area in the national capital early hours of Wednesday, killing four people and injuring others, police said.
While two persons were killed on the spot, one person was declared brought dead at the hospital and another person succumbed during treatment.
The incident is reported to have taken place around 1.51 am while the truck was crossing the Delhi Transport Corporation Depot traffic light at Seemapuri. “Today Dated September 21, at around 01.51 am, one unknown truck/canter while crossing DTC Depot redlight and going towards DLF T- point, was driven rashly and negligently which crushed/injured six persons sleeping on the road divider,” said the police.
The deceased have been identified as Kareem (52), Chotte Khans (25), Shah Alam (38) and Rahul (45), while those injured included 16-year-old Manish and 30-year-old Pradeep. “Several teams have been formed to trace the vehicle involved. A case has been registered under appropriate sections,” said the police.
A Madhya Pradesh Congress leader’s alleged objectionable remarks about the Brahmin community have triggered a controversy with the BJP threatening to prevent Rahul Gandhi’s ongoing ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ from entering the state if the leader is not expelled from the party.
However, Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee media cell chairman KK Mishra, to whom the objectionable remarks have been attributed, claimed his comments have been “twisted” by the ruling party as they are rattled by the huge response Gandhi’s mass contact drive was getting across the country.
BJP workers on Tuesday staged a protest outside the residence of state Congress president Kamal Nath and demanded Mishra’s expulsion from the opposition party.
Mishra made the alleged remarks in an interview to a local media person while responding to a question about the state government taking action against Brahmin officials in context of the recent suspension of Jhabua district’s superintendent of police (SP) and transfer of the district collector.
While the SP was suspended for allegedly using abusive language over phone against students seeking security from him, the Jhabua collector was transferred following complaints of poor implementation of welfare schemes in the district.
In the interview, Mishra is heard saying though he is proud to be a Brahmin, he considers humanity above everything and cannot defend a “….. Brahmin who indulges in wrongdoings”.
As the comments went viral on social media, BJP workers led by Bhopal district president Sumit Pachouri staged a protest outside the residence of Kamal Nath and demanded expulsion of Mishra from the Congress.
The BJP workers said if no action is taken against Mishra, they will not allow Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, which started from Tamil Nadu in the first week of September, to enter Madhya Pradesh.
Later, some BJP leaders also met Nath at his residence and submitted a memorandum demanding Mishra’s ouster from the Congress.
Sources close to the former chief minister said he told the protesting BJP leaders he would examine the entire episode and take an appropriate action.
8 people injured in Chicago residential building blast 9
At least eight people were injured after an explosion ripped through a residential building in Chicago on Tuesday (local time), according to local fire department authorities.
Chicago Fire Department confirmed the explosion at 9:45 am (local time) and tweeted pictures which showed that the top floor of the four-story brick apartment building on the city’s West Side almost completely destroyed by the blast. The department said that the blast occurred near Washington Boulevard and Central Avenue.
“Background on explosion. This is a four-story apartment building. With 35 units. Investigation underway into cause by CFD OFI. Assisted by ATF and CPD. Looking at 4th Floor as possible source,” Chicago Fire Department said in a tweet.
Fire officials said that a building adjacent to the site of the explosion was being evacuated. Deputy Fire Commissioner Marc Ferman told reporters during a midday briefing that first responders have completed primary and secondary searches of the building after the explosion. “Right now we feel like we’re confident we got everybody out,” Ferman said. The fourth floor of the building had collapsed and was “compromised,” he said, as per reports.
The Maharashtra government on Tuesday issued an order detailing the procedure for the withdrawal of cases filed for defying official orders during the coronavirus pandemic.
Except for the matters where government officials or frontline workers were assaulted or damage to property exceeded Rs 50,000, all cases registered under IPC section 188 (defying lawfully promulgated order of public servant) can be withdrawn, said a Government Resolution (GR).
The decision was taken as those facing such cases, typically filed for allegedly violating various pandemic-related norms, were facing hardship, it said.
Such offences under section 188 of the IPC should be either alone or filed along with the Pandemic Act, Disaster Management Act or certain sections of Maharashtra Police Act, the GR said.
Such cases should not relate to attacks on government or frontline workers and damage to private or government property exceeding Rs 50,000.
There will be committees in every district and police commissionerate to examine the cases and recommend withdrawal.
The cases should have been registered between March 21,2020, to March 31,2022.
Cases filed against sitting and former legislators cannot be withdrawn without due permission from the High Court, the GR said.
Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar on Tuesday said that China is still a “formidable challenge” at the border and evolving terrorism is a major security threat for the country.
The Navy Chief Admiral said that China remains a formidable challenge in this regard and has kept on increasing its presence not just on land but also on maritime borders.
“China remains a formidable challenge and has increased its presence, not only along our land borders but also in the maritime domain by leveraging anti-piracy operations to normalize its naval presence in the Indian Ocean Region,” Kumar said.
Kumar further said that a war with potential adversaries cannot be ruled out, but without escalating into armed action.
“While competition is being played out on a daily basis, at times testing limits, but without escalating into armed action, a war with potential adversaries can never be ruled out,” Navy Chief Admiral said.
The Navy Chief Admiral also said that Pakistan has continued its military modernisation despite economic constraints.
“To the West, Pakistan despite economic constraints has continued its military modernisation, especially its Navy, which is on track to becoming a 50-platform force,” Navy Chief Admiral said.
One person was apprehended by the Gopalapuram Police on Tuesday, for carrying fake currency notes worth Rs 3.16 lakhs, informed the police. The arrest was made at Indranagar colony, Kalimandir, Bandlaguda Jagir in Hyderabad and the man has been identified as Kasthuri Ramesh Babu.
He was allegedly moving with fake currency notes. As per the police, he himself confessed his guilt when Police enquired from him.
The police seized fake currency worth more than three lakhs from the accused. It comprised 2500 fake notes of Rs 100 denominations, 45 half-printed fake notes of Rs 100 denominations, and 92 half-printed fake notes of Rs 500 denominations.
Other than this, one Lenovo laptop, two black and white colour printers, one screen printing machine, one paper cutting machine, one mobile phone, and one four-wheeler were also seized by the police.
The police received a complaint on September 19 regarding this case. A man named Gopi Rama Swamy had complained that one person purchased fruits from him and in return gave him a fake note of Rs 200.
As soon as he realised this, he along with his friend chased him and brought him to the police. A case was registered at the Gopalapuram Police Station, under section 489 (B) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the investigation was started, the police said.
