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Kids’ kidnap-murder case: Bombay HC commutes death verdict for 2 to life

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Bombay High Court.

Bombay High Court.

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday commuted the death sentences on two prime accused – both step-sisters – to life term till death in jail, in the sensational case of the kidnapping of 13 minor children and murdering at least 5 of them, that rocked the state in the early 1990s.

The accused, Seema Mohan Gavit, 39, and Renuka Kiran Shinde, 45, were arrested by Maharashtra Police in 1996 and have so far spent around 25 years under the shadow of the hangman’s noose, at the Yerawada Central Jail, Pune.

Another prime accused and their mother, Anjana, who was also arrested and charged in the case, passed away in 1998 during the pendency of the trial.

A division bench of Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Sarang Kotwal commuted the death penalty, rapping the delays by the government authorities in taking a decision on the mercy pleas of the two.

In 2001, the half-sisters were convicted and awarded the death penalty by the Kolhapur Sessions Court for the stunning kidnappings of 13 children and killing 5 of them brutally.

The death sentence was confirmed by the Bombay High Court in 2004 and then the Supreme Court in 2006.

The sisters had earlier filed mercy pleas before the Governor in 2008 that were declined in August 2013, and later to the President, which was rejected in July 2014, even as people from the USA Japan, Canada, and India appealed to the President for commuting the death verdict, saying that execution of women is extremely rare.

After the rejection of their appeals from both the Governor and the President, they moved the Bombay High Court.

The matter was taken up urgently on August 19, 2014, as the two sisters awaited the gallows that day.

The Public Prosecutor issued telephonic instructions to the YCJ Jail Superintendent Yogesh Desai to stop the hangings till their pleas were heard and the matter came up on the board the following day.

The petitioners contended that the government machinery did not adhere to the rules that required utmost expediency and resorted to a “most casual approach” resulting in a delay of nearly 8 years, which the division bench upheld.

The sisters contended, through their lawyer Aniket Vagal, that the delay was attributable to the executive including the Governor and the Maharashtra Government, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the President, which was denied by the Centre’s lawyer Sandesh Patil.

The judges noted that from the date of the sisters submitting their mercy plea on September 1, 2006 till it was finally disposed of on July 30, 2014, it took 7 years, 10 months and 15 days.

Justice Jamdar and Justice Kotwal also observed how the chronology showed that there was “nothing but the movement of files, delay, and casual approach demonstrated at each stage” and the state government moved “as if it was a routine file, perhaps even slower than that”, at each stage “officers exhibited utter casualness”.

The court also frowned at how, in the period between 2006-2014, modern electronic communication facilities, email, courier, transportation were easily available to all government officers, and termed as “abhorrent” the movement of files/papers in such a crucial matter within the state or the city after gaps of 15 days, month, six months or up to one year.

It also commented on how the matter was circulated before the court only by the petitioner-sisters in 2021 and not by the government since 2016, and the manner in which the two convicts were kept isolated in the ‘Death Convict Yard’ which has an ominous connotation, and was described as “brooding horror of hanging, daunting the prisoner in the condemned cell” by the late Justice Krishna Iyer.

However, the evidence on record shows the kids were brutally murdered, showing the “depravity” of the two convict-sisters which was “heinous and beyond words to condemn”, the bench said, ordering “life imprisonment is till the life of the convict” unless the competent authority decides otherwise, though the (convicts) were beyond reform for society.

The court also cancelled the unexecuted death warrants against the two sisters and disposed of the petition.

Crime

CBI court sentences BBAU office assistant to four years’ imprisonment in bribery case

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Lucknow, Dec 10: A CBI Court in Lucknow has convicted and sentenced Vijay Kumar Dwivedi, a former Office Assistant at the University Institute of Engineering & Technology (UIET) under Babasaheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar University (BBAU), to four years’ rigorous imprisonment in a bribery case.

The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 on him, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said in an official statement issued on Wednesday.

The conviction was pronounced on December 9, the statement said.

According to the CBI, the case originated from a complaint filed by a contractual assistant professor of UIET, who alleged that Dwivedi had demanded an undue advantage of Rs 50,000 in exchange for facilitating the extension of the contractual appointment of the assistant professor.

The accused claimed that the extension would be processed through the Director of UIET and demanded a bribe to ensure the renewal.

Acting on the complaint, the CBI registered the case on June 2, 2017, and laid a trap. During the trap, Dwivedi was caught red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe amount from the complainant assistant professor. The agency subsequently arrested him.

Following the completion of the investigation, the CBI filed a charge sheet against Dwivedi on August 1, 2017. The prosecution presented evidence, including witness testimonies, trap proceedings, and recovered money, to establish the guilt of the accused.

After a detailed trial, the CBI Court found Dwivedi guilty of demanding and accepting illegal gratification and sentenced him to four years’ imprisonment.

The court also ordered him to pay a fine of Rs 30,000. The judgment, the agency said, reinforces the CBI’s commitment to combating corruption in public institutions.

The CBI actively investigates bribery cases, leading to convictions of public servants and private individuals for demanding or accepting bribes, with punishments including imprisonment and hefty fines.

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Crime

Palghar Crime: 2 Arrested For Attempted Murder In Daylight Robbery At Vasai Jewellery Shop

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Palghar: In a swift and coordinated operation, the Crime Branch Unit 4 of the Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar Police Commissionerate arrested two accused who brutally attacked a jeweller during an attempted daylight robbery in Vasai East.

The incident occurred on December 9, 2025, at around 11:57 a.m. at Ambika Jewellers, located near Shalimar Hotel in Waliv, Vasai East. According to the police, the complainant’s brother, Kalusingh Kharvat, was attending the shop when an unidentified man and woman entered the store along with a young child. They asked to see a gold ring and also requested water for the child.

When Kalusingh stepped into the inner room to bring water, the male accused followed him inside and allegedly attacked him with a knife. The victim sustained multiple stab wounds to his abdomen, hands, chin, right cheek, and forearm. The attacker reportedly attempted to kill him before fleeing the scene. A case was registered at Waliv Police Station under BNS Section 109 and 3(5) for attempted murder and related offences.

Acting on instructions from senior officers, Crime Branch Unit 4 immediately visited the crime scene, analysed CCTV footage, and developed actionable intelligence. Based on technical surveillance and confidential information, the team tracked down and detained the suspects from the Nashik Road area.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Sohel Sharafat Khan, 23, and Firdos Bano Sohel Khan, both residents of Tehroli, District Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. The duo were found to be actively involved in the crime and were handed over to Waliv Police Station for further investigation. 

Meanwhile, the victim is undergoing treatment and is reported to be in stable condition.

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Business

Mumbai: RTO Files Criminal Cases Against Uber, Ola, Rapido After Fatal Highway Crash In Mulund

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Mumbai: Following the death of a woman passenger in a collision involving a speeding mixer truck and an illegally operated Uber-linked Activa scooter on the Eastern Express Highway, the Regional Transport Office (RTO) has taken serious note of the incident and initiated criminal action directly against the directors of Uber, Ola and Rapido.

Five FIRs have been registered across four police stations, Navghar, Nehru Nagar, Pant Nagar and Amboli. An official of the state transport department said, “We will ensure strict action against all those operating bike taxis in violation of RTO norms, including suspension of licences. No violations will be tolerated.”

According to the FIR filed on December 1 by the Navghar police, the accident occurred at 11am on November 29 beneath the Airoli Flyover on the Eastern Express Highway, Mulund (East). The accused driver, Jawahir Yadav, 40, was allegedly driving a mixer truck at high speed and in a rash and negligent manner when he rammed into an Activa scooter that had been registered on the Uber platform without any transport permit.

The impact left the scooter rider, Ganesh Madhav, seriously injured, while the pillion rider, Shubhangi Magre, 49, died. The Navghar police initially booked the truck driver for causing death by negligence. Subsequently, based on a complaint filed by Motor Vehicle Inspector Ravindra Gawde of the Mumbai East RTO (Wadala), the Navghar police registered a case against the directors of Uber India Systems Pvt Ltd.

Investigations revealed that rider Madhav had registered an Activa scooter belonging to his maternal uncle with Uber without mandatory permission from the transport department. He then reportedly ferried passengers using another scooter (MH 03 EM 4233), also without authorisation. The police have invoked relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Motor Vehicles Act, and the Maharashtra Bike Taxi Rules, 2025, against Uber India directors.

The FIR states that Uber violated the conditions of its temporary permit for app-based transport services by allowing unauthorised private scooters to be registered on its platform. Following the Navghar case, RTO officials began booking bike taxi rides through various apps to initiate further action. On December 3, the Nehru Nagar police registered a case against the directors of Roppen Transportation Pvt Ltd (Rapido), stating that the company was illegally operating petrol-engine bike taxis in Mumbai without any licence from the Maharashtra government or Regional Transport Authority.

The Nehru Nagar police filed a second FIR against directors of both Rapido and Uber on December 4. On the same day, the Pant Nagar police also registered a case against Rapido’s directors for similar violations. On December 5, after booking four rides through the Rapido app and one through the Ola app, RTO officials filed another case at the Amboli police station, alleging that both companies were facilitating illegal passenger transport for profit. The police officials said investigations in all cases are underway.

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