Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday dismissed a contempt petition filed by Dnyandev Wankhede, father of IRS officer Sameer Wankhede, against Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) MLA Nawab Malik. The petition alleged that Malik had violated an assurance given to the court by making defamatory remarks against the Wankhede family.

A bench of Justices MS Sonak and Jitendra Jain, however, noted that the social media posts cited in the contempt plea did not constitute a breach of Malik’s earlier undertaking, which was limited to the duration of a defamation suit. Moreover, the suit has since been dismissed due to non-removal of office objections.

Dnyandev Wankhede had filed a defamation suit seeking restrain in Malik from making defamatory statements against him and his family.

Malik had then offered an unconditional apology for his remarks, which the court accepted on December 7, 2021. At that time, the court had permitted him to make statements pertaining only to official misconduct of government officers.

Dnyandev Wankhede the contempt plea in 2022 claiming that despite giving an undertaking to the court in December 2021 to refrain from making defamatory statements, Malik continued to do so through public comments and social media posts, including on December 28, 2021, and January 2 and 3, 2023.

On Friday, Malik’s counsel pointed out that the original defamation suit filed by Wankhede had already been dismissed due to procedural lapses. Therefore, in the absence of a subsisting suit, the question of contempt did not arise.

Wankhede’s advocate Sana Raees Khan contested this. The court accepted Malik’s argument and held that no contempt could be made out.

Dismissing the plea, the bench observed that it was open to Wankhede to pursue any other remedies available under the law, including seeking restoration of the original suit.

Mumbai: In a significant move, the state government has issued an order restricting the authority of all state departments, enterprises and semi-government bodies from independently approving projects exceeding Rs 500 crore. This directive effectively curtails the powers of key agencies like MMRDA, CIDCO, MHADA, SRA and MahaHousing.

CM’s Panel To Take Call On Projects Over ₹500 Cr

Issued by the Finance and planning department under Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, the order mandates that any project with an estimated cost of Rs 500 crore or more must now be submitted to the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, for approval.

Trouble Expected For Shinde Sena

This move delivers another blow to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, already reeling from a series of controversies involving its leaders. With key departments under its control, the party now faces added challenges, as they will no longer be able to independently approve big-ticket projects – tightening the government’s grip on crucial decision-making.

While the MMRDA and CIDCO come under the urban development department, the MHADA, SRA and MahaHousing come under the housing department. Both departments are headed by Shinde.

Details On Cabinet Committee On Infra

The cabinet committee on infrastructure, headed by the CM, comprises six members and the other members are Shinde and Dy CM Ajit Pawar, revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, medical education minister Hasan Mushrif and industries minister Uday Samant.

The planning department order also says the chief secretary, instead of the planning department secretary, will be the secretary of the committee, who will move the proposals, which were earlier done by the planning secretary. Besides, the secretaries from the finance department and the law and judiciary department will be the permanent invitees. This will facilitates intense scrutiny by finance and planning department.

According to sources in the government, the decision was taken given the precarious condition of the state finances. The projected debt burden by the end of the current financial year is Rs 9.5 lakh crore, and the government is spending over Rs 1.5 lakh crore on repayment of the loan and the interest amount.

The Shinde-led Shiv Sena is facing a series of controversies related to social Justice minister Sanjay Shirsat. A few days back, a video clip became viral in which the Horticulture Minister Bharat Gogawale was shown participating in occult practices, performing hom-havan. Sandipan Bhumre, Lok Sabha Member from Aurangabad (Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar) has been in the news over speedy approvals for liquor permits held by his family members and close relatives.

Speculations Around Shinde’s Delhi Tour

Shinde’s Delhi tour on Thursday was said to be in connection with the controversies and the attempts to create trouble for him. Another reason being cited was his reported meeting over the scheduled hearing in the Supreme Court hearing on July 14 over recognition of his group as the real party and symbol – bow and arrow.

Mumbai: After the protest at Azad Maidan demanded affordable housing for 1.5 lakh mill workers in Mumbai, organized by 14 groups including the Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh, the government has acknowledged the protest and plans to provide housing based on land availability in Mumbai and nearby areas.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde reassured labor unions that accepting houses in Shelu is not compulsory for mill workers. While a large number of applications were received by MHADA for the mill land housing scheme, only 25,000 workers were included.

Due to space constraints in Mumbai, the government decided to construct 81,000 houses in Shelu and Vangani, leading to protests from mill workers’ heirs who marched to Azad Maidan. Following this, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met with protesters, resulting in significant decisions from the government.

In a recent X post Maharashtra deputy chief minister has stated that the purchase of houses at Shelu is voluntary for mill workers, and their housing claims will not be terminated if they opt out in 2024.

The cancellation of point number 17 from the government resolution was announced. A quota will be set for housing mill workers under the slum rehabilitation project, and a request is being made to the central government for salt pan lands in Mumbai for their housing, reflecting efforts for justice for mill workers.

The government aims to ensure that every eligible mill worker secures housing. Industries Minister Uday Samant stated that Shinde decided in the meeting to construct houses for mill workers in Mumbai and nearby areas wherever land is available.

There is a confirmation that taking housing in Shelu is voluntary, countering misinformation about compulsory allocations. Furthermore, mill workers not securing housing by 2024 will still retain their claims, and a decision has been made to cancel a particular point in the prior government decision.

Additionally, plans for a housing quota for mill workers in the slum rehabilitation project are underway, and requests are being made to the Center for housing on salt pans in Mumbai as part of the government’s effort to ensure justice for the mill workers.