National Society for Equal Opportunities for the Handicapped, India, and better known as NASEOH organized a function here to appreciate and recognize the efforts of school children for collecting and contributions to help NASEOH.

Well known television and stage actor Sooraj Thapar was the Chief Guest for the occasion and handed over various awards for students and schools from across Mumbai and Thane. Aneel Murarka, Managing Director, Mirachem Industries and Committee Member of NASEOH was the Guest of Honor of the function.

“Mr. Murarka has been supporting the center since last many years through his generous contributions and helping us organizing our activities,” said Mrs. Hansa B. Mehta, President, NASEOH in her address.

“It is our duty to give it back to the society when we earn through our business. It gives me immense satisfaction that I could do something for the cause of differently able people,” said Mr. Murarka.
“I am glad to know that Aneel is helping more than 35 colleges across Mumbai through his CSR activities and it is a very good gesture,” said Mr. Thapar.

This year’s contribution of schools from Mumbai and Thane crossed over Rs 11 Lakh. Incidentally, Mr. Murarka’s son, Master Sidhaant Murarka from Oberoi International School was crowned as ‘Collector Emperor’. Like father, like son! Way to Murarkas.

Farhan Azmi, son of state Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Abu Asim Azmi, on Tuesday said he was in the reckoning to contest against sitting Congress MP and union minister Milind Deora from Mumbai South constituency in upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Azmi said he wanted to take on Deora as he has “failed” youth while Shiv Sena candidate Arwind Sawant was a no match to the Congress leader.

“There should be someone who can take on Milind. In 2009, I was not ready to enter electoral politics. But, now I am in the process of conducting a survey about my electoral prospects. If I can win one lakh plus votes, I will enter the fray. I do not wish to be just a game spoiler,” he said.

In 2009 elections, Milind Deora, son of former minister and Congress heavyweight Murli Deora, had defeated Shiv Sena’s Mohan Rawale in the constituency.

AAP has already announced the candidature of former banker Meera Sanyal from the seat for forthcoming elections.

“I will be the party’s youth wing leader till 2015 after which I will hand over the charge to another person. I am in the process of restructuring the state unit and make it a force to reckon with,” Azmi said.

SP has already announced the candidatures of Kamlesh Yadav and Raees Sheikh against Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam in Mumbai North and NCP MP Sanjay Dina Patil in Mumbai North East, respectively.

He said he would take up the issue of certain housing societies refusing flats to Muslims, with city police commissioner Rakesh Maria and demand that such societies be booked under sections 149 of CrPC and 153 (a) and 298 of IPC.

“….Refusal is the violation of the right to live and own property,” Azmi said, adding that his party was against discrimination of any kind.

“If police fail to act in 15 days, SP would expose the housing societies it has identified by releasing tapes of the sting operation which has been carried out by our volunteers,” Farhan said.

The Azmi junior also demanded deployment of women constables at nakabandis in night.

“We will start by deploying our volunteers with cameras at nakabandis in South Mumbai to keep a check on how women drivers as well as those belonging to a particular community are treated,” he added.

Farhan had lost to Shiv Sena candidate Rupesh Mhatre in the 2010 by-election for Bhiwandi East Assembly seat which was won by his father in 2009 elections.

The senior Azmi had also won from Mankhurd and vacated the seat for his son, necessitating the by-election.

The fire on board the submarine INS Sindhuratna could have started from the sailors’ deck above the battery pit of the vessel, Navy said on Tuesday.

“A preliminary assessment of damage sustained onboard was carried out by a specialist team of Western Naval Command. Based on preliminary inspection of third compartment (sailors’ accommodation), the likely seat of fire has been indicated as the mess deck, which is located one deck above the battery bit,” a Navy release said.

Certain electric cables were observed to be “burnt in this area and the cause for initiation of fire at this location would be ascertained in due course by the high level Board of Inquiry”.

On the status of batteries, the Navy said Kilo Class submarines carry 240 cells, distributed equally in forward and aft battery pits.

The batteries currently “installed on Sindhuratna have till date completed about 113 cycles as against 200 cycles available for exploitation… The batteries which were being exploited by Sindhuratna at the time of incident were therefore operationally in-date,” it said.

On the status of the battery compartment in the vessel, the Navy said, “Preliminary inspection shows no damage has been observed thus for. Further, there are no signs to indicate any initiation of fire from the battery pit. The batteries appear to be clear of any damage and would now be put through normal checks and maintenance routines prior operationalisation.”

The Pune police on Tuesday produced before the Bombay High Court the original ‘case diaries’ in the probe relating to the murder of anti-superstition activist Narendra Dabholkar, complyng with its direction.

The bench headed by Justice PV Hardas, however, asked police to submit a Photostat copy of the case diaries for the perusal of the court instead of filing the original document.

Adjourning the matter for two weeks, the court told the police to produce a copy of the case diaries a few days before the next hearing so that they can go through the documents.

Atul Almeida, lawyer for Dabholkar’s daughter Mukta, urged the court to grant one week more to file an application seeking intervention in the case. A fortnight ago he had made a similar plea and the court had asked him to file a written plea.

The court said that Mukta could file a written application if she wanted to intervene.

Last month, the court had issued notice to CBI after petitioner Ketan Tirodkar amended his plea to include the agency as a respondent instead of NIA.

Tirodkar argued that NIA had restricted jurisdiction as it was involved only in cases of terror, while CBI has wider powers as it investigates serious crimes.

Dabholkar, who spearheaded the anti-superstition movement in Maharashtra, was shot dead in Pune on August 20, 2013 while on a morning walk. Police are still clueless about identity of his assailants.

Earlier, police had informed the court that there was no evidence suggesting the involvement of right-wing extremists in Dabholkar’s killing. Police also said that since he was not facing any threat, there was no question of them preparing a perception report (prior to the murder) and monitoring his activities.

Police in their affidavit had termed as a ‘figment of imagination’ the petitioner’s contention that the murder was the handiwork of right-wing extremists and said it was not supported by any factual evidence.