Maharashtra government has decided to withdraw around 1.46 lakh “minor” and old cases lodged against people in the state.

“The state government has decided to withdraw… (about) 1,46,680 stale and ineffective cases. These cases will be withdrawn using Sections 288 and 321 of CrPC, which allow such recourse,” a senior home department official said on Thursday.

According to another official in the department, the bulk of the cases involve charges evolving from participation in political or social agitations.

There are around 35-40 lakh minor cases pending in courts, the official said, adding that, “The punishment in these cases does not exceed three months.”

“These cases are not disposed of quickly and a lot of time is spent on them. After conducting a proper scrutiny, the government has decided to withdraw the (1.46 lakh) cases,” the official said.

Committees at the district and state level were formed to scrutinise the cases to be withdrawn, he added.

“The committees at the district and state level were made up of judges, district collectors and senior police officials,” he said.

Sketches of three robbers, who had made a failed bid to rob a US national working with a global IT services and solutions provider, were prepared and distributed but no breakthrough has been made, police said.

“Sketches of the accused were prepared and circulated among the policemen. We are giving our best to trace the trio,” Yadavrao Jadhav, senior inspector at Powai Police Station said.

Victim David Parish (51), working with L&T Infotech, was jogging at Powai when three motorcycle-borne miscreants struck him and tried to snatch his bag.

According to police, the victim fought back and punched two assailants before they fled from the spot.

“We checked at various hospitals including government-run hospitals and clinics to verify if any person with injuries on face and jaw had taken any treatment, but in vain,” said another officer.

Several persons with criminal record had been rounded up for questioning, but no clue leading to identification of the accused had been achieved, the officer said. Police said one of the three accused had got down from the bike yesterday morning and demanded money from David.

When the victim said he had no money, the second person got down from the bike and attacked him with a sharp weapon on his back. He sustained minor injury. David then punched the two, after which the scared trio fled from the spot. David arrived here on Monday from Texas for some office job and checked in Ramada Hotel in Powai.

Demanding implementation of the revised payscale and other benefits assured by the central government, thousands of anganwadi workers courted arrest, sources said.

The angwanwadi workers, who came together under the banner of Maharashtra Anganwadi Workers’ Organisation, staged protests here yesterday before courting arrests.

Over 4,000 anganwadi workers gathered at the District Collectorate demanding immediate consideration to increase salary and benefit that government promised three months back.

They demanded increment up to Rs. 10,000 for permanent workers and Rs. 7,500 for temporary staff; status for government workers; post retirement benefits; increased dearness allowance.

The workers, who had been on strike from January 6.

“Our demands are justified and it is our right to ask for incentives we deserve. We aren’t begging, but coping with the current income is getting harder every day with inflation disrupting our budgets,” said Pratibha Shinde, district Secretary of Anganwadi Workers Organisation.

According to sources, some other party workers approached Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers to seek help from party leader Arvind Kejriwal on the issue.

Anganwadis are courtyard shelter, operated by the government under the Integrated Child Development Services program to combat child hunger and malnutrition, among other things.

Over 50 men belonging to Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) vandalised and ransacked a toll plaza this morning in Dombivili in Thane.

The MNS workers were demanding that the toll plaza should be shifted from the current location where roads were too narrow causing accidents and traffic jams.

The workers also claimed that they had warned the toll plaza authorities about this earlier and since they didn’t follow the diktat, they went on the rampage, breaking tables, doors, windows and computers.

The police have arrested 55 MNS workers for rioting.

The Indian Army marked its 66th anniversary in Mumbai by honouring the martyrs at the Gateway of India. And for the first time, families of martyrs were adopted by local Army units to ensure that Army assistance is available to them in the long run.

Families of 18 martyrs were present at the function where Governor of Maharashtra K Sankaranarayan gave the Veerta Puraskar. Among the awardees was Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan’s mother. Unnikrishnan had died fighting terrorists during 26/11 at the Taj Mahal Hotel, situated right opposite the ceremony venue.

“It’s not about financial assistance. It’s about honour. I have not come to terms with the fact that Sandeep is not here anymore. I feel he is right here, somewhere,” his father, K Unnikrishnan said.

While there will be no financial assistance, the martyr’s families will be allowed to use Army infrastructure. Army schools, medical facilities and Army hostels will be open to them. This means that the families will be able to use most facilities that serving Army personnel get to use. For many, this is crucial.

Rajshri Mane, wife of martyred jawan Naik Kundlik Mane was emotional while speaking. She said, “My husband is like my god. My only responsibility will be to bring up my son and make him like my husband.” Naik Kudlik Mane was killed in an ambush along the Line of Control in the Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir. He hailed from Kolhapur in Maharashtra and has a little son.

Harshala Garje, who husband Major Atul Garje lost his life when his helicopter crashed, told, “This is society’s respect towards the martyrs. We are here to celebrate their bravery. We are still a part of the Army family.”

For the martyr’s families, life often becomes a struggle. This unique gesture to extend support will look after every need of the families of these bravehearts.

NCP asked the Aam Aadmi Party to spell out its stand on secularism and reservation for backward classes and minorities.

The new party should give a clear view on where it stands on the principles of secularism. AAP should spell out its ideology, NCP spokesman Nawab Malik said at a press conference.

When HRD minister late Arjun Singh introduced reservations for OBCs in IIMs and IITs, Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia’s Youth for Equality forum opposed the move.

“The party should clarify if it is opposed to reservations. NCP supports reservations for minorities and Maratha community in jobs and education. Since AAP is contesting Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra, we would like to know their view on this issue,” Malik said.

Taking a dig at the Shiv Sena for its proposed January 23 rally to mark the birth anniversary of late Bal Thackeray where the Shiv Sainiks will have to “pledge” their loyalty to the party, he said, “Late Balasaheb never felt the need for such oath from Sainiks. Irrespective of the pledges administered to them, Sainiks, MLAs and MPs are not happy with the current party leadership.”

When asked about Shiv Sena corporator Sheetal Mhatre and former Mayor Shubha Raul’s charges of women not being treated well in the party, Malik said, Bal Thackeray had opposed reservation for women in politics, saying that a woman’s place is in kitchen and she should be looking after children.

“The party has not yet changed its attitude towards women,” he said.

The Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court allowed the prosecution to drop some less serious charges against deported gangster Abu Salem in connection with the murder of city-based real estate developer Pradeep Jain in 1995.

“We filed an application in the special court, saying that some less serious charges under the Indian Penal Code and and TADA may be dropped and the court has upheld our application,” special prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said.

Nikam said that earlier Abu Salem had moved an application in court seeking that charges of criminal conspiracy against him in the murder case be dropped due to the order of the constitutional court of Portugal which had terminated his extradition.

“We told the court that charges were withdrawn to maintain cordial relations between India and Portugal, but we contended that charges of criminal conspiracy would not be dropped,” Nikam said.

Abu Salem, an accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, was extradited from Portugal on November 11, 2005, after a prolonged legal battle.

According to the police, on March 7, 1995, a city-based real estate developer Pradeep Jain was shot dead by assailants outside his Juhu bungalow after he allegedly refused to part with his huge property for Abu Salem.