Mumbai: A sessions court has acquitted Salman Shaikh, 27, and Mohammad Jahid Shaikh, 32, in the July 2018 murder case of Nasreen Shaikh, 20, at Oval Maidan, citing insufficient evidence. The court criticised the prosecution for failing to provide eyewitnesses or establish a motive, despite the incident occurring in a public space.

Two Arrested in 2018 Oval Maidan Murder Acquitted

Salman, a food delivery worker, and his friend Mohammad were arrested in July and August 2018, respectively, for the murder of Nasreen, with whom Salman was in a relationship. The prosecution alleged that the duo stabbed Nasreen multiple times at Oval Maidan on July 31, 2018, and disposed of her body and phone at the site. However, the court found the evidence lacking, leading to their acquittal.

According to the prosecution, Nasreen, a cafe worker in Colaba, left home at 8am on July 30, 2018, but did not return. Her father, Umar, contacted Salman, who had reportedly met Nasreen that day after picking her up from the café. When Nasreen remained missing, Umar attempted to file a missing person complaint on July 31, first at Mumbra police station, which redirected him to Colaba, and then to Azad Maidan police station. While walking from Colaba to Azad Maidan, Umar spotted a body in Oval Maidan’s garden, identifying it as Nasreen’s by her pink shoes. She had succumbed to multiple stab wounds, and a murder case was registered.

The prosecution claimed Salman stabbed Nasreen during an argument at Oval Maidan, motivated by her discovery of his marital status, financial disputes, and his suspicions about her. They relied on CCTV footage showing the couple together and testimonies from Nasreen’s family to establish motive. However, the court dismissed these claims, noting significant flaws.

Court Flags Delayed Statements, Doubts Motive

The court observed that statements from Nasreen’s mother and sister were recorded 15 and 18 days after the incident, respectively. “Such a delay suggests that the investigator may have summoned them later, possibly to manufacture a motive,” the court remarked. It also questioned the recovery of the alleged murder weapon, a knife, noting it was found in an open place, raising the possibility of planting.

Further, the court highlighted the absence of eyewitnesses despite Oval Maidan being a busy public space. “Perhaps there may have been eye-witnesses to the said offence, but none was found. This itself shows that no incident took place. The lack of any corroboration strongly suggests no incident occurred,” the court stated.

Jammu, Aug 22 :The Enforcement Directorate (ED) and J&K Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Friday carried out raids at multiple locations in Jammu district in connection with a land allotment fraud.

These raids were carried out at locations in Jammu rural areas and the city, including Canal Road, targeting the residences of a personal assistant (PA) to a former minister, a Patwari, and several property dealers.

Official sources said the raids began early morning, and the fraud was done by the revenue officials and some influential people, including the former Minister’s PA.

The sources said that the ED launched the operations at nine locations, including eight in Jammu and one in Udhampur. The case is about land grabbing and corruption involving the custodian land.

Sources said the action has been initiated against Pranav Dev Singh, Patwari; Rahul Kai, Patwari; Akeel Ahmed, Naib Tehsildar, and several others.

“The case relates to the alleged illegal transfer and grabbing of the Custodian land, which belongs to evacuees from Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, since 2022 onwards. Searches were carried out at residential and office premises of the accused persons to gather evidence of corruption, illegal property transactions, and possible money laundering,” said the officials.

The ED case is based on an FIR registered by J&K ACB (Central), which had flagged serious irregularities in land dealings involving government officials and private beneficiaries.

“Custodian land in Jammu has remained under scrutiny for years, with several complaints of fraudulent mutations, encroachments, and misuse of authority by officials in nexus with private parties,”, sources added.

More details were awaited.

The latest ED action is seen as part of a wider crackdown on corruption linked to state land in the region.

The ED on Thursday provisionally attached immovable property worth Rs 77.66 crore in connection with a Rs 200 crore bank loan fraud in which the beneficiaries had done blatant diversion of loan money to create assets beyond the purview of the sanctioned loan by utilising funds meant to be otherwise used for the bona fide purpose.

Mumbai: In the State Drama Competition conducted by the Directorate of Cultural Affairs, the institutions participating are reimbursed for the theatre production expenses after staging their plays. Likewise, when a theatre troupe stages its play at a centre other than its original location, the artists are given a daily allowance. Cultural Affairs Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar has taken a landmark decision to double all these amounts, and the government resolution in this regard was issued today.

Every year, the Directorate of Cultural Affairs organizes the Maharashtra State Drama Competition. Under this competition, categories such as Amateur Marathi, Hindi, Musical, Sanskrit, Children’s Drama, Drama for Differently-Abled Children and Professional theatre are held.

Institutions and artists participating in the State Drama Competition are awarded cash prizes. Additionally, the institutions are reimbursed for production costs after staging the play. Furthermore, if a troupe stages its play at a centre other than its original place, the artists are paid a daily allowance.

For many years, the participating institutions and artists had been demanding an increase in prize money, production expenses and daily allowance. Responding positively to this long-pending demand, Cultural Affairs Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar has taken the decision to double these benefits, and a government resolution has been issued accordingly.

The increased amounts for prize money, production expenses and daily allowance outlined in the government resolution will be applicable starting from the 64th Maharashtra State Drama Competition, commencing on November 3, 2025.