Page 12 - Pune

Pune ACB receives complaint seeking inquiry against Puja Khedkar's father

The Pune unit of the Anti Corruption Bureau has received a complaint application seeking an open inquiry against Dilip Khedkar, a retired government official and father of controversial IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, in connection with alleged disproportionate assets, a senior official said. The Pune ACB unit has sought directions from the ACB headquarters, as there is already an ongoing inquiry regarding disproportionate assets to known sources of income by the Nashik division of the ACB against Dilip Khedkar. "An open inquiry against Dilip Khedkar is currently underway at the Ahmednagar unit by Nashik ACB. We have now received another complaint seeking an open inquiry. We have recorded the complainant's statement and forwarded the complaint to ACB headquarters along with the evidence," said Amol Tambe, Superintendent of Police, Pune ACB, on Wednesday. He said directions have been sought from the ACB headquarters to either incorporate the fresh complaint into the ongoing inquiry or

Porsche crash: Panel urges action against JJB members for bail 'lapses'

The panel probing the conduct of two Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) members in connection with the bail given to the minor accused in the Pune Porsche crash case has recommended disciplinary action against them for "procedural lapses", an official said on Wednesday. On May 19, two IT professionals were killed in Kalyani Nagar area here after their motorcycle was hit by a speeding Porsche car allegedly driven by the minor in an inebriated condition. The case caused a national uproar after JJB member L N Danwade granted bail to the accused on very lenient terms, including writing a 300-word essay on road safety. Later, a committee was formed by the Women and Child Development (WCD) Department of the Maharashtra government to probe the conduct of two JJB members in connection with the bail given to the minor accused. In its report, the panel talked about the "procedural lapses", "misconduct" and "non-compliance of norms" of the JJB members. As part of its probe, the committee appointed

Pune-based ElasticRun eyes operational profitability by end of October

The business-to-business ecommerce player has, for instance, focused on working with regional brands as they give better margins and also allow them to partner with these brands in marketing

IAS Pooja Khedkar has 7% locomotor disability: Pune-based private hospital

Controversial trainee IAS Pooja Khedkar is accused of forging documents to claim disability and OBC reservation quota to secure UPSC seat

Pune police unable to track Puja Khedkar's mother in land dispute case

The Pune police have not been able to get in touch with Manorama Khedkar, mother of controversial probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, in connection with a case registered against her over a land dispute, a senior official said on Monday. The police have registered a first information report (FIR) against Manorama and her husband Dilip Khedkar besides five others, after a video showing her allegedly threatening some persons with a gun over a land dispute emerged. A team with a senior officer of the Pune Rural police have been visiting Manorama's bungalow at Baner Road in the city but has not been able to track her down, the official said. "We visited the house on Sunday and today, but have not been able to enter the premises. Her mobile phone is also switched off. Once we find her, an enquiry will be set up and legal action will be taken," the official said. Pune Rural Police have booked the Khedkar couple and five others under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS

Pune civic body issues notice to Khedkar's mother over 'illegal structures'

Pune civic body on Saturday issued a notice to Manorama Khedkar, mother of controversial probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, directing the removal of "unauthorised structures" adjacent to the boundary wall of their bungalow in seven days, officials said. Police have also registered an FIR against the IAS probationer's parents Manorama and Dilip Khedkar beside five others, days after a video showing Manorama allegedly threatening some persons with a gun over a land dispute emerged. The 34-year-old officer is in the eye of a storm for allegedly misusing the disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) quota to secure a position in the IAS. On Saturday evening, Pune Municipal Corporation officials tried to hand over the notice to Manorama Khedkar at 'Om Deep' bungalow, located on Baner Road in the city, but didn't get any response after ringing the doorbell. Subsequently, officials stuck the notice on the main door of the bungalow. "We have received a complaint about the structures ..

Trainee IAS officer Pooja Khedkar may be dismissed if quota claims false

The Centre on Thursday constituted a single-member panel to look into controversial trainee IAS officer Pooja Khedkar's candidature documents and other claims

One accused detained by police in Pune hit-and-run case, car seized

The accused has been identified as 24-year-old Siddharth Raju Kengar alias Gorakh

Bank of Maharashtra records 19% growth in credit for April-June quarter

State-owned Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) on Friday reported a 19 per cent growth in credit to Rs 2.09 lakh crore for the April-June quarter. The outstanding credit was Rs 1.75 lakh crore at the end of June 30, 2023, BoM said in a regulatory filing. The Pune-headquartered lender reported a 9.44 per cent increase in total deposits to Rs 2.67 lakh crore as against Rs 2.44 lakh crore at the end of the first quarter of the previous financial year. During the quarter, it said, Current Accounts and Savings Accounts declined to 49.86 per cent of the total deposits as against 50.97 per cent. The Credit Deposit ratio increased to 78.18 per cent at the end of June 30, 2024, as against 71.89 per cent in the year-ago period.

Lonavala waterfall tragedy | Pune administration issues new guidelines

Prohibitory orders have been imposed at other popular tourist spots in Pune as well to enhance safety during the monsoon season.

Post waterfall tragedy, prohibitory orders enforced at picnic spots in Pune

The Pune district administration has imposed prohibitory orders at several popular picnic spots, including Bhushi Dam and the Pavana Dam region, to ensure the safety of tourists during the monsoon season. The order, effective from July 2 to 31, prohibits gatherings of five or more persons, restricts individuals from entering deep water bodies, and bans taking selfies and creating reels at these sites. The administration has already outlined a series of safety measures for hazardous tourist locations, which includes identification and demarcation of dangerous areas, the presence of lifeguards and rescue teams, and the installation of warning boards. The move comes after anincident on Sunday when a woman and four children were swept away at a waterfall near the Bhushi Dam, a well-known picnic spot in the picturesque Lonavala hill station of Maharashtra's Pune district. According to a notification issued by Pune Collector Suhas Divase on Tuesday, section 163 of the newly implemented .

Pune crash: Teen's father, grandfather get bail in driver's kidnapping case

A Pune court on Tuesday granted bail to the father and the grandfather of the juvenile involved in the Porsche car crash, in a case pertaining to alleged kidnapping and wrongful confinement of their family driver after the fatal accident in May. A Judicial Magistrate (First Class) granted bail to the 17-year-old boy's father Vishal Agarwal, a prominent builder, and his grandfather, who were arrested in May-end. According to police, the teen's father and the grandfather allegedly kidnapped their family driver after he left a police station on May 19 at 11 pm, hours after the crash, wrongfully confined him at their bungalow and tried to force him to admit that he, and not the juvenile, was behind the wheels when the accident took place. A Porsche car driven by the 17-year-old boy allegedly in a drunken state fatally knocked down two motorbike-borne software engineers in Pune's Kalyani Nagar area in the early hours of May 19. Advocate Prashant Patil, a defence lawyer, informed that ..

After waterfall tragedy, Pune admin releases safety measures for tourists

The Pune administration has outlined a series of safety measures for hazardous tourist locations in the district which includes identification and demarcation of dangerous areas, the presence of lifeguards and rescue teams, and the installation of warning boards. The move comes after the incident on Sunday when a woman and four children were swept away at a waterfall near the Bhushi Dam, a well-known picnic spot in the picturesque Lonavala hill station of Maharashtra's Pune district. The incident has sent shockwaves through the community, highlighting the urgent need for improved safety protocols at popular tourist destinations. Furthermore, the tranquil setting of the Pavana Dam in Lonavala has also been marred by a series of tragic drownings, underscoring the critical importance of implementing enhanced safety measures in the region. During the monsoon season, a large number of tourists visit the Bhushi and Pavana dams, Lonavala, Sinhgad, Malshej and Tamhini and other places, ...

Pune bar drug video case: Police custody of 10 accused extended till July 3

A court here on Monday extended till July 3 the police custody of 10 persons arrested in connection with the Pune bar drug video case. Santosh Kamthe, Vitthal Kamthe, Yogendra Girase, Ravi Maheshwari, Akshay Kamthe, Dinesh Mankar, Rohan Gaikwad, Manas Mallick, who are associated with Liquid Leisure Lounge (L3), and Nitin Thombre and Karan Mishra, who were allegedly seen in the viral video, were produced in a court where police sought extension of custody. The prosecution, while seeking custody, told the court they want to probe the links of the accused with the alleged drug peddlers in the case and, therefore, need their further police custody. One of the arrested persons, Abhishek Sonawane, had supplied drugs to Thombre and Mishra and police wanted to reach the main drug peddler, the prosecution told court. Police said they arrested Abhishek Sonawane, Omkar Sakat and one Nigerian national for supplying drugs to Mishra and Thombre. Later, Aryan Patil and Akshay Swami were held for

Porsche case: Pune police to move SC against release of accused juvenile

Pune police are planning to approach the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court order for the release of a 17-year-old boy allegedly involved in the Porsche car accident here in May, a senior official said on Monday. The HC on June 25 directed that the boy be released immediately, saying the Juvenile Justice Board's (JJB) orders remanding him to an observation home were illegal and the law regarding juveniles must be implemented fully. The teenager, who got bail hours after the accident on May 19, was sent to the observation home in Maharashtra's Pune city three days later following an outcry. After the HC order last week, the juvenile was released from the observation home and his custody was handed over to his paternal aunt. The order was passed on a petition filed by the boy's aunt, who claimed he was illegally detained. The Pune police are planning to approach the Supreme Court against the Bombay HC order, Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar told PTI on Monday. As per t

Pune crash: Minor released, HC says sending him to observation home illegal

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed that the 17-year-old boy allegedly involved in the Porsche car accident in Pune be released immediately as the orders remanding him to an observation home were illegal and the law regarding juveniles must be implemented fully. The teenager, who had got bail hours after the accident on May 19 but was sent to the observation home three days later following an outcry, was released in the evening following the HC order. A division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande said it was the court's bounden duty to prioritize justice above everything else, and it was not swayed by the uproar created because of the ghastly mishap which resulted in the loss of two innocent lives. "Fiat Justitia Ruat Caelum, a latin phrase which connotes, "Let justice be done though the heavens fall," clearly convey a principle in law, that justice must be realized regardless of consequences and just decisions may be made at whatever cost it comes," the

Pune bar case: Cops detain 2 persons from Mumbai for alleged drug use

The Pune police have detained two persons from Mumbai in connection with the alleged use of drugs at a bar here, a top official said on Tuesday. The detained duo was seen with a drugs-like substance in a video that went viral earlier, he said. Pubs in the state's second largest city came into focus after the video, allegedly from Liquid Leisure Lounge or L3 on the Fergusson College Road in Pune city, showed some youths with some drugs- like substance. According to the police, the bar was operating till 5 am on Sunday and liquor was being sold beyond permissible time limit. Bars and pubs in Pune are allowed to remain open till 1.30 am. "We have detained from Mumbai a total of two persons who were seen in the viral video with the drugs-like substance," said Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar. Earlier, the police have arrested eight persons in this connection, including an event organiser, and suspended four police personnel after the L3 bar was found operating beyond the ...

MoD approves survey to expand Pune airport's runway to boost int'l ops

The Pune airport is a defence airport wherein commercial aircraft operations are allowed at certain periods of time under the management of the AAI

Birla Estates buys land in Pune, to build Rs 2,500 cr housing project

Realty firm Birla Estates Pvt Ltd on Monday said it has acquired a 16.5-acre land parcel in Pune to a develop a housing project with an estimated revenue potential of Rs 2,500 crore. Birla Estates is a 100 per cent wholly-owned subsidiary of Century Textiles and Industries Ltd and the real estate venture of the Aditya Birla Group. The company said it is expanding its presence in Pune with a land acquisition in Manjri, Pune. "The land parcel is spread across 16.5 acres with a development potential of approx. 32 lakh sq ft and an estimated revenue potential of Rs 2,500 crore," a regulatory filing said. K T Jithendran, MD & CEO at Birla Estates said, "Pune is a strategic market for us and this acquisition is a step towards our ambitious growth plans." The Pune Sholapur corridor is transforming at a rapid pace, he said. "We intend to enhance living standards in Manjri by delivering meticulously designed homes that seamlessly integrate contemporary architecture with thoughtfully chose

Bharat Biotech moves to adds ICMR as co-owner of Covid-19 vaccine patent

Bharat Biotech was working on developing the Covid-19 vaccine as a top priority to ensure product availability at the earliest