Mumbai: In order to ensure hassle-free, comfortable travel & better services to all bonafide passengers over Western Railway, intensive ticket checking drives are being carried out continuously over Mumbai suburban local services, Mail/Express as well as passenger trains & holiday special trains so as to curb the menace of ticketless/irregular passengers.

The highly motivated ticket checking team under the supervision of senior commercial officers of Western Railway organized several ticket checking drives during the months of April 2024 to January, 2025, thereby recovering an amount to the tune of Rs. 117.54 Crore, which also includes Rs 38.10 Crore from Mumbai Suburban section.

According to Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, Vineet Abhishek, during the month of January, 2025, an amount of Rs 13.08 crore was recovered through detection of 2.24 lakh ticketless/irregular passengers, including unbooked luggage cases.

Also, in the month of January, WR realized fines amounting to Rs 4.13 crore through detection of 98 thousand cases over Mumbai Suburban section. To prevent unauthorized entry in AC local trains, frequent surprise ticket checking drives are carried out.

As a result of these drives almost 52,000 unauthorized passengers have been penalized from April 2024 to January, 2025 and over Rs. 172 lakh collected in fines. Western Railway appeals to the general public to travel with proper and valid tickets.

Mumbai, Feb 6: In a setback for NCP leader and Maharashtra’s Food and Civil Supplies Minister Dhananjay Munde, the Bandra Family Court has directed him to pay Rs 2 lakh per month as interim maintenance to Karuna Sharma, his live-in partner. The ruling comes amid growing calls for his resignation over the murder of Massajog sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh from Beed district.

The court issued the order in response to Karuna Sharma’s petition under the Domestic Violence Act, in which she sought Rs 15 lakh in monthly maintenance from Munde who had previously admitted to a past live-in relationship with Sharma and acknowledged their children, which served as the basis for the ruling.

As Munde was recovering from eye surgery, his lawyer Sayali Sawant issued a press note clarifying the order. “The court’s directive pertains solely to interim maintenance based on financial considerations. It does not imply any adverse findings against my client regarding allegations of violence. The order was passed purely on the financial needs of the applicants,” the statement said.

The relevant portion of the court order states, “Considering the basic needs of Applicant No 1 and No 3, their income, and the lifestyle of the respondent, I am of the opinion that they are entitled to maintenance under Section 20 of the Domestic Violence Act. Therefore, an interim maintenance amount of Rs 1,25,000 per month to Applicant No 1 and Rs 75,000 per month to Applicant No 3 from the Respondent is sufficient.”

Reacting to the verdict, an emotional Sharma welcomed the order but expressed dissatisfaction with the amount granted. “I do not accept this verdict. I will appeal to the Bombay High Court seeking Rs 15 lakh per month. My house rent alone is Rs 1.70 lakh, and maintenance is only Rs 30,000. My son is unemployed. How can I manage with just Rs 2 lakh? I have been fighting this battle alone for three years, even selling my jewelry to survive,” she said.

Sharma further claimed victory in securing recognition as Munde’s wife. “I should no longer be called Karuna Sharma but Karuna Dhananjay Munde. The court has given me the status of the first wife, and my fight for the Munde name has been successful,” she asserted.

Karuna Sharma also declared her intent to claim Munde’s assets. “I will fight for all of Dhananjay Munde’s property, which has been illegally registered in the name of his second wife, Rajshree. I was not informed when he remarried. I was in Indore at the time,” she alleged.

In a shocking revelation, Sharma accused Walmik Karad, a close associate of Dhananjay Munde who is currently in jail for the murder of Santosh Deshmukh, of assaulting her. “Karad had beaten me and touched me inappropriately,” she alleged.

Sharma also spoke about the emotional toll of her struggle. “I have had suicidal thoughts. My mother took her own life, but when I think of her, I stop myself. If she were alive, I wouldn’t have to fight alone,” she said.

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday asked the State government what action it proposes to take against the police officers attached with the Badlapur police for lapses in registering FIR and investigating the sexual assault case involving two minors inside the school premises there.

A bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale asked the State to inform on the next date of hearing, which is after three weeks, the proposed action. “File affidavit regarding action taken against the concerned police officers,” the bench said.

Advocate for one of the victims urged the court to direct authorities to initiate criminal proceedings against the policemen concerned. He pointed out that the disciplinary proceedings are complete which has found them guilty. However, the court did not pass any order to the effect.

During an earlier hearing, State Advocate General Birendra Saraf had informed the bench that departmental inquiry was initiated against the police officers and one officer has been found guilty of dereliction of duty. He had also said that the file had been sent to the police commissioner for necessary action.

The HC, last year, had directed setting up of a committee of experts to examine the safety of children in schools and other educational institutions. The committee was asked to submit a report of its recommendations.

On Wednesday, additional public prosecutor Prajakta Shinde said that due to some difficulty the committee was unable to submit the report and sought three more weeks for the same.

Two minor girls were sexually assaulted inside the school toilet by a male attendant on August 12 and 13, 2024. He was arrested but later killed in a police shootout when he was being taken by the police from jail for questioning.

The Special Investigation (SIT), probing the case, has filed the chargesheet naming the attendant. The chargesheet has also named the school’s headmaster and two members of the management for “failing to report” the sexual assault, as required under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The HC had taken suo motu cognisance of the issue after the people in Badlapur protested on the streets and staged a rail blockade after the police and the school failed to attend against the culprit.

Akshay Shinde, 24, was arrested in August 2024 for the alleged sexual assault on the minors. He worked as an attendant at the school. On September 23, while being transported from Taloja prison to the police station for questioning, Shinde was killed in a purported scuffle. The police claimed he snatched a constable’s pistol and opened fire, injuring an officer, prompting Senior Inspector Sanjay Shinde to retaliate with fatal shots.