Page 32 - Maharashtra

Beer consumption in Maharashtra on a slow recovery amid high taxation

The industry says that taxation on beer in the state has made it more expensive than other alcoholic beverages

SC seeks Maharashtra body's reply on contempt plea over property razing

The Supreme Court on Monday directed a Maharashtra authority to respond to a man's plea for initiating contempt action against it after he and his family members were booked by police and his properties were rased for allegedly raising anti-India slogans during a cricket match. A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih issued the notice and posted the hearing after four weeks. The petitioner, who hails from Sindhudurg district in the state, has claimed his house and shop were demolished on February 24 following an FIR against him, his wife and his 14-year-old son for allegedly raising anti-India slogans during the India-Pakistan Champions Trophy match, which India won the previous day. The plea, filed by Kitabulla Hamidulla Khan, sought directions for initiating contempt proceedings against the chief officer and administrator of the Malvan Municipal Council arguing the action was in violation of the apex court's November 13, 2024 verdict on demolition of properties.

SC seeks Maha authority's reply on contempt plea over property demolition

The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from the Maharashtra authority on a plea seeking initiation of contempt proceedings for demolition of a house and shop in Sindhudurg district over alleged anti-India slogan during a cricket match. The petitioner has claimed the demolition was conducted by the authorities after a frivolous compliant was filed about alleged raising of an anti-India slogan during a cricket match between India and Pakistan during the Champions Trophy held last month. "Issue notice," a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih said. The bench said the plea would be heard after four weeks. The plea has alleged violation of the apex court's November 13, 2024 verdict on demolition of properties. The verdict had laid down pan-India guidelines and barred demolition of properties without a prior showcause notice and 15 days' time to the aggrieved party to respond.

Civic authorities demolish house of Nagpur violence key accused Fahim Khan

Amid heavy police security, civic authorities on Monday morning demolished a two-storey house of Nagpur violence key accused Fahim Khan over unauthorised construction, officials said. Khan, a leader of the Minority Democratic Party (MDP), has been booked for sedition. He is among the over 100 persons arrested for the violence in Maharashtra's Nagpur city on March 17. A few days back, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation issued a notice to Khan, citing various lapses and lack of the building plan approval (for his house), sources said. At around 10.30 am on Monday, three JCB machines of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation started demolishing the house, located at Sanjay Bagh Colony in Yashodhara Nagar area here, amid heavy security and drone surveillance in the entire area. The area where the demolition work was being done was completely barricaded. The house, registered in the name of Khan's mother, was located on a plot of Nagpur Improvement Trust (Lease) and the lease ended in 2020, a

Prohibitory orders in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar from Mar 25 to Apr 8

Prohibitory orders have been imposed in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city in view of the agitations against Aurangzeb's tomb and to maintain law and order during the upcoming festivals, officials said on Monday. Police Commissioner Pravin Pawar has imposed the prohibitory orders, to be in force from March 25 to April 8, an official said. Notably, several right-wing organisations have been demanding the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's tomb located at Khultabad in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. The police order mentioned the upcoming events like Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj's death anniversary (March 29), Gudi Padva festival (March 30), Eid, Jhulelal Jayanti (March 31) and Ram Navami (April 6). There is also a probability that right-wing outfits may hold an agitation against Aurangzeb's tomb, and various communities may also organise protests, it said. Hence, to maintain law and order, prohibitory orders have been imposed in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city under

Maharashtra budget to boost real estate with infra focus: CREDAI-MCHI

Realtors' body CREDAI-MCHI has said the Maharashtra government's budget will give a significant boost to real estate sector because of huge allocation for infrastructure development and focus on affordable housing. CREDAI-MCHI, which is part of CREDAI, represents real estate developers in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). On March 10, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who holds the finance portfolio, tabled the state budget in the legislative assembly and announced a new industrial policy, focussing on Rs 40 lakh crore investment and generation of 50 lakh jobs. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region is being developed as a growth hub, and it will have a USD 1.5 trillion economy by 2047, Pawar said as he announced a third airport in the metropolis near the Vadhvan port in the neighbouring Palghar district. CREDAI-MCHI President Domnic Romell said, "The Maharashtra state budget lays a strong foundation for economic growth through strategic investments in infrastructure and ..

Highlights: CBI files closure report in actor Sushant Singh Rajput death case

Latest news updates: Catch all the live news updates from around the world here

Nagpur violence: Rioters to pay cost of the damage, says Maharashtra CM

The cost of properties damaged during Nagpur violence will be recovered from rioters and the failure to pay up would lead to the seizure and selling of their properties, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday. Addressing a press conference, Fadnavis said 104 rioters have been identified after analysing videos and footage from CCTV cameras so far and action has been taken against 92 people, including 12 minors, as per the law. Fadnavis said the scheduled visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be impacted due to the violence that occurred on Monday in central Nagpur areas. "The cost of properties damaged during Nagpur violence will be recovered from rioters and the failure to pay up would lead to the seizure and selling of their properties to recover losses. "Strict action will be taken against rioters who attacked police personnel. My government will not rest until elements who attacked the police are found out and dealt with sternly," said Fadnavis, w

Karnataka observes 12-hour bandh called by pro-Kannada groups today

A 12-hour statewide bandh called by the pro-Kannada groups to protest the alleged assault on a state-run bus conductor in Belagavi last month for not knowing Marathi began in Karnataka on Saturday morning amid tight security. In several parts of the state, the pro-kannada groups took to the streets staging protests and they appealed to the shopkeepers to cooperate and extend their support for the cause. But most of the shops were open as usual. In Bengaluru, the activists gathered at the Mysore Bank circle and raised slogans holding placards. Some activists staged a demonstration at the BMTC and KSRTC bus stand at Majestic in the state capital. The protestors appealed to the bus drivers and conductors to support the call for Bandh. As their agitation intensified, police took them under preventive custody. In Mysuru, some pro-Kannada activists staged a sit-in protest by blocking buses at the suburban bus stand. They staged a dharna near the exit gate to block buses heading to Beng

Nagpur violence: 14 more held, 105 arrested so far; 3 new FIRs registered

At least 14 more persons have been arrested in connection with the violence in Nagpur earlier this week, taking the total number of arrests to 105, a senior police official has said. According to the police, 14 persons, including 10 juveniles, were nabbed on Friday. The official said three more FIRs have been registered in connection with the incident. Large-scale stone pelting and arson were reported in several parts of Nagpur on March 17 over rumours that a "chadar" with holy inscriptions was burnt during protests led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) seeking the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's tomb, which is in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. "Fourteen accused were arrested from different parts of the city in connection with the riots. Three more FIRs have been registered related to the riots," Nagpur police commissioner Ravinder Kumar Singhal said. He said the decision to lift the curfew from some parts of the city would be made after a high-level review ...

Nagpur violence: Court remands 17 accused to police custody till March 22

A local court here has remanded 17 persons arrested in connection with the Nagpur violence in police custody till March 22. The accused were produced on Thursday night before magistrate Maimuna Sultana during which the police sought their custody for seven days. The persons have been arrested in connection with an FIR registered by the Ganeshpeth police. The court in its order said the offences levelled against the accused were serious in nature and hence their custodial interrogation was required. It added that since a mob was involved in the violence, it would not be possible for the police to attribute specific roles to each and every accused at this stage. The probe in the case is at a preliminary stage and a thorough investigation is yet to be completed, the court said in its order. Assistant public prosecutor Megha Burange said the accused persons' custodial interrogation was required to ascertain the masterminds and main perpetrators of the crime. She further said the acc

BJP raking up Disha Salian case after failing on Aurangzeb: Sanjay Raut

Disha Salian was found dead on June 2, 2020, days before actor Sushant Rajput was found hanging in his flat in suburban Bandra, Mumbai

Nagpur violence: Muslim leaders seek impartial probe, urge CM to meet reps

Members of the Muslim community in Nagpur have condemned the violence in Vidarbha's largest city earlier this week and sought an impartial probe into it, claiming that timely action by police could have prevented it. Addressing a press conference on Thursday, they said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should meet representatives of both communities in a bid to establish peace. Large-scale stone pelting and arson were reported in several parts of Nagpur on Monday evening after rumours began circulating about a chadar' with holy inscriptions being burnt during protests led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) seeking the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb. Efforts are being made to provoke the Muslim community through various means in the last two to three years. A minister has been continuously raising the topic of Aurangzeb. The Muslim community has no connection to Aurangzeb and has remained calm, Dr Mohammad Awes Hasan said at the press conference. He alleged that right-wing .

Disha Salian case: Amid protest, Aaditya Thackeray says will reply in court

Members of the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance on Thursday raised the Disha Salian death controversy in both houses of Maharashtra legislature, leading to heated exchanges, even as Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray said he would give reply to the allegations against him in the court. A day after Disha's father Satish Salian demanded a fresh probe in her death, the issue was raised by Ameet Satam (BJP) in the Assembly. Disha, former manager of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, died or was killed on June 8, 2020, Satam said. "Police termed the death as suicide....An SIT was formed in December 2022, but no report has been submitted yet. But social media is full of speculation about whether a party was going on when she died, whether she was killed,' he said. 'Salian's father has said he suspects his daughter was gang-raped and murdered. He has filed a petition. The previous MVA government suppressed the case. The then Mayor met him, misled him, and pressurized him not to ..

Buldhana hair loss cases not linked to wheat, water contamination: Minister

The cases of sudden hair loss reported in Buldhana district in Maharashtra in December and January are not linked to consumption of wheat supplied from ration stores nor does it appear to have been caused by water contamination, state minister Meghna Bordikar said on Thursday. The minister of state for public health was responding to a question raised by MLC Satyajit Tambe during a short-term discussion in the Legislative Council, in which legislators Kishor Darade and Vikram Kale also participated. "The hair loss cases reported in various villages of Shegaon taluka in Buldhana are a serious matter. A household survey has been conducted in all affected villages, and samples of water, soil, blood, and wheat have been collected for testing. These samples have been sent to Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for analysis. Once the ICMR report is received, the exact cause of hair loss will be determined. Necessary action will be taken accordingly," Bordikar said. Health check-ups

EPFO's net member addition rises 11.67% to 178,900 in Jan: Payroll data

An increase of 11.48 per cent has been registered in net payroll addition in the month under review compared to December 2024, a labour ministry statement said

Gates Foundation to partner with Maha to make state malaria-free: Fadnavis

Bill Gates is currently on an India visit. He met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other central ministers in New Delhi earlier this week

Freebie debate: Growing debt is forcing states to rethink poll promises

Increasing debt burdens are forcing states to reassess poll-time welfare promises, as fiscal constraints make it harder to sustain freebie-driven policies amid growing financial pressures

Tin sheets erected on sides of Aurangzeb's tomb in Maharashtra's Khultabad

Amid demands that the tomb of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb situated in Maharashtra's Sambhajinagar district be removed, the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) has put up tin sheets on two sides of the 18th century structure. The decision was taken by the district administration two days ago when collector Dilip Swami and Superintendent of Police Vinaykumar Rathod visited the tomb at Khultabad with ASI officials. Tin sheets and wire fencing were put up on two sides of the structure on Wednesday night, a local official said. A circular fence will also be installed around the tomb, a senior district official said. "The green net covering two sides of the tomb was in bad shape, and the structure was visible to those visiting the nearby Khwaja Syed Zainuddin Chishti grave. So we have installed tin sheets," he told PTI. A protest by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal seeking the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb led to violence in Nagpur on Monday. The 17th century Mughal emperor is in f

Those who attacked police in Nagpur will be dug out from graves: Fadnavis

In a stern warning to perpetrators of Nagpur violence, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said attackers of police will be "dug out from their graves" and made to face the law. His reaction comes amid outrage over rioters allegedly touching a woman constable inappropriately and trying to disrobe her during violence on Monday night. The mob had hurled stones and petrol bombs, injuring 33 police personnel, including three DCP-rank officers. "Those who attacked police during the arson in Nagpur will be dug out from their graves. Attacks on police are unpardonable. They will get the strictest punishment. We won't spare them," Fadnavis said in the Assembly while replying to a debate on the Budgetary demands of the Home department. He reiterated that the violence and arson were premeditated with an intention to disturb social harmony. Fadnavis clarified that his statement didn't contradict the Nagpur police commissioner. "The Nagpur police commissioner said the ..