A special CBI court, which has dismissed CBI’s application seeking to drop former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan’s name from the list of accused in the Adarsh Housing Society scam case, has said it cannot pass any order as the matter was also pending before the Bombay High Court.

“Chavan has challenged the competency of CBI to investigate the (Adarsh) matter and it is pending before the HC. As a judicial discipline, the court cannot pass any order in respect of deletion of Chavan’s name”, said special CBI judge S G Dige in a three-page order given to CBI today.

After Governor K Sankaranarayanan had last month refused to sanction Chavan’s prosecution on CBI’s application, the premier investigative agency moved the court on January 15 for allowing it to drop the name of Chavan who has been chargesheeted, along with 12 others, in the case.

Judge Dige also said there was no provision under section 169 (release of accused when evidence is deficient) of CrPc for deletion of name of accused for want of sanction for Prevention of Corruption Act as it is a separate offence.

CBI had charge-sheeted Chavan and others in the case in July 2012 but the court is yet to take cognisance as a PIL, seeking a probe into benami flats in Adarsh Housing Society and use of laundered money, is pending before the high court.

A judicial commission of inquiry, set up by the state government, had indicted Chavan, former CMs Vilasrao Deshmukh and Sushilkumar Shinde over “blatant violations” of statutory provisions in granting various clearances to the scam-tainted housing society.

The judicial panel’s report had said “there was certainly a nexus between the acts of Chavan and benefits derived by his close relatives. The membership process clearly indicates that grant of requisite permission by Chavan was by way of quid pro quo.”

Seventy-year-old Zaibunisa Kazi, who is a co-accused in the 1993 Bombay blasts case, is granted 30 days parole.

Her daughter will collect the order of the parole from the state secretariat in the afternoon. Last year, her plea for parole was rejected by the Divisional Commissioner.

Zaibunisa Kazi, who was convicted for the same charges as Sanjay Dutt, had appealed to the Maharashtra Governor seeking pardon.

Both Kazi and Dutt were charged under TADA Act for aiding and abetting a terrorist act and the Arms Act. But Dutt was held guilty only under the Arms Act while Kazi was convicted under TADA too.

Jet Airways on Monday announced a daily direct service from the city to Paris from May 14, making the French capital its 21st international destination.

The Paris-bound flight will depart from Mumbai at 1200 hrs and arrive at the Charles de Gaulle airport at 1750 hrs local time. The return flight will depart at 2110 hrs (local time) and arrive in Mumbai at 0945 hrs the following day, the private carrier said in a release in Mumbai. The Paris-Mumbai service will be the only evening departure from continental Europe to the megapolis, the airline said. Jet is offering a special return economy fare of Rs. 45,291 (including taxes) and return premiere introductory fare of Rs 1,53,315 (including taxes) on the route.

The regular fare will be Rs.62,040 (economy) and Rs. 2,02,114 (premiere) (inclusive of taxes). These fares, available since January 14, have a travel validity commencing 14 May. However, to avail of the discounted fares, booking has to be made before 10 February, the release said. Jet Airways Group operates a fleet of 113 aircraft, connecting 75 destinations in the country and abroad through 573 flights.

Architecture experts and students from Scotland’s biggest university are visiting India’s largest city Mumbai to study how its urban landscape and infrastructure operates.

The group from the University of Edinburgh will attempt to better understand how the city’s approach to urban planning and design differs from that of the West.

The team of 30 international students from 11 countries and academics are also keen to explore what the future holds for the vibrant city.

Collaborating with academic partners from India, the Edinburgh group will present an exhibition of their work examining how Mumbai’s residents interact with the city.

Dorian Wiszniewski, of the University’s School of Architecture and Design, the organiser of the visit, said: “As India’s fastest growing city, Mumbai’s presence is being felt across the world.

“I find Mumbai a fascinating place. It has grown rapidly in spite of a very challenging location and is now home to over 20 million people.”

A symposium involving some of India’s most influential urban designers, planners and architects will also take place to encourage discussion and analysis, focusing on Mumbai’s successes and the challenges it faces.

Symposium delegates include Sheela Patel of the Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centers (SPARC), Darryl D Monte, Chair of the Forum of Environmental Journalists of India, and architect Brinda Somaya.

Indian students from Sir JJ College of Architecture and the Department of History at the University of Mumbai will participate in the symposium, which will provide an opportunity to exchange ideas and hear fresh perspectives.

The University of Edinburgh currently has almost 250 Indian students and it will welcome more next year to its architectural postgraduate courses.

State-run Air India is looking at mopping up a bridge loan of over Rs. 1,400 crore to finance the delivery of two more Dreamliners.

The aircraft, for which it has sought the bridge financing, are to be delivered in the next two months, according to the bid document posted on the national carrier’s website.

A bridge-loan is typically used to meet payment commitments until a long-term financing is arranged.

The need for loan came as the government has refused to infuse a part of the Rs. 30,000-crore bailout package it had promised to the airline by FY 2019-20, this fiscal.

The cash-strapped Air India, which is already sitting on a debt pile of over Rs. 35,000 crore, and accumulated loss of over Rs. 27,000 crore, is raising the money for the 6-12 months period and plans to repay the same after a sale and lease back of these planes.

The airline is likely to report a loss of around Rs. 3,900 crore this fiscal, which is better than Rs. 5,400 crore it had incurred last fiscal, and is offering the aircraft as the security but has not offered government guarantee for these loans.

The bridge financing for the 12 Dreamliners, inducted between September 2012 and January 2014, is already in place, the bid document said.

Air India has already sold and leased back seven Dreamliners and it hopes to conclude the sale and lease back process of seven more (including the two on arrival) by March.

The state-run airline had placed ordered with US aircraft maker Boeing for 68 planes in January 2006, which includes 27 Dreamliners.

Apart from this, the national carrier had also booked 43 planes from Airbus, which have already been inducted.

Maharashtra cabinet decided to hike the remuneration of the personnel of Home Guards and Civil Defence units.

Accordingly, home guards personnel would now get Rs. 300 per day, compared to the Rs. 150 they get now. Similarly, civil defence personnel would get Rs. 150 per day, compared to the Rs. 75 they get at present.

Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil had assured the state legislature last year that the amount would be increased, his spokesperson said.

The decision would benefit 39,792 home guards and 70,476 civil defence personnel, he said.

Patil had said the government had initiated steps to strengthen the force in terms of manpower and equipment.

The cabinet also approved issuance of an ordinance to set up a national law university at Mumbai, Aurangabad and Nagpur.

Besides, the cabinet decided to extend the sugarcane purchase tax concession to sugar mills with co-generation projects of less than 6 MW, an official said.

The Bombay High Court recused itself from hearing confirmation of death penalty awarded to Indian Mujahideen operative Himayat Baig in the German Bakery blast of February 13, 2010 that left 17 people, including foreigners, dead in Pune.

Along with the confirmation of death sentence awarded to Baig, the appeal by this convict also came up for hearing.

“Not before us,” said a bench headed by Justice Naresh Patil.

The judges did not assign any reason for not hearing the matter.

As per legal norms, the death sentence awarded to an accused by the trial court comes up before the High Court for confirmation.

Baig, an alleged member of Indian Mujahideen, was arrested in September 2010. He was convicted by a special court in Pune in early 2013 for his role in the blast.

The court had found him guilty of taking part in the conspiracy and executing the blast at German Bakery, a popular hangout of foreigners, in Koregaon Park area of the city.