Navi Mumbai: A lawyer from Kharghar has been booked by Panvel City Police for allegedly preparing a fake minor certificate bearing the forged seal and signature of an Additional Sessions Judge. The racket, exposed during a land transaction, comes close on the heels of the bogus heirship certificate scam in Panvel Court.

According to police, complainant Ladhavji Patel (57), a builder from Vashi, was negotiating to purchase a plot in Ulwe Sector 17 when one of the co-owners, Giridhar Ramakant Gharat, died leaving behind his wife and two minor children. Patel required a minor certificate from the court to complete the deal.

As the court procedure was delayed, Gharat’s cousin Sagar Gharat offered to get the certificate quickly through his lawyer for Rs 1 lakh. On September 10, he handed Patel a purported court order showing approval of the minor certificate, allegedly signed and sealed by Additional Sessions Judge D.E. Kothalikar.

Patel later verified the document in Panvel Court, only to find it was completely bogus. When questioned before the court, Sagar Gharat admitted that the document had been supplied by Advocate V.K. Sharma of Kharghar.

“We have registered a case of cheating and forgery against Advocate Sharma and begun further investigation,” said a police officer from Panvel City police station.

This case follows the November 2024 bogus heirship certificate scam in Panvel Court, in which forged heirship documents with fake signatures of judges and staff were circulated. In that case, police had registered four offences, arrested three lawyers, a court employee, and an agent, and filed a chargesheet in one matter, while probes in the others continue.

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government’s decision to permit homoeopathic doctors to practise allopathy after completing a one-year pharmacology course has drawn sharp opposition from the state’s allopathic medical fraternity. Around 1.8 lakh allopathic doctors will observe a one-day statewide strike on September 18.

From September 17, the government will start separate registration of homoeopaths with the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC), allowing those who have completed the CCMP course to practise modern (allopathic) medicine within a restricted scope.

In protest, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called for a one-day strike on September 18, with about 1.8 lakh allopathic doctors pledging support. All private hospitals and nursing homes will close their out-patient departments (OPDs) for new patients from 8 a.m. Thursday to 8 a.m. Friday, and private clinics will also remain shut. In-patient services and surgeries are expected to be affected.

Dr Santosh Kadam, president of IMA Maharashtra, said allowing homoeopathic doctors to practise allopathy after a short certification course “is playing with patients’ health.” Wrong medicines or misdiagnosis in emergencies could endanger lives, he warned. The resident doctors’ organisations of government and BMC medical colleges — Central MARD and BMC MARD — have also opposed the move.

The Federation of All India Medical Associations president Dr Akshay Dongardive warned that if the government does not roll back its decision, doctors will launch a nationwide agitation, even taking to the streets to alert the public about the risks.

The strike has also gained support from the Bombay Nursing Home Association, Maharashtra Senior Resident Doctors’ Association (MSRDA), the organisation of Medical Officers in Government Hospitals, Maharashtra Ophthalmological Society, and the Maharashtra unit of the Indian Academy of Paediatrics, among several other medical bodies.

Mumbai: Congress Working Committee member and former Maharashtra minister Naseem Khan has warmly welcomed the interim order given by the Supreme Court on the Waqf Act and said that this decision of the court once again shows the mirror to the Modi government. The BJP government has the misconception that after getting an overwhelming majority in Parliament, it has got the right to trample the Constitution, but the court has made it clear that the biggest power in democracy is the Constitution, not the majority of any political party. This order of the Supreme Court is a tight slap on the arrogance of the Modi government and reminds that no one can suppress the voice of the Constitution.

In his statement to the media, Naseem Khan said that in the last several years, the BJP government has repeatedly made such laws which aim to target the weaker sections of the society and weaken the constitutional values. The Waqf Amendment Act is also a link in the same chain through which the government tried to curb the religious and social freedom of the minorities. However, this interim order of the Supreme Court has proved that the court is still the protector of constitutional rights and no government can be allowed to distort the structure of the Constitution in the arrogance of its power. He appealed to the people to have faith in constitutional institutions and believe that no power can last long in front of the truth. He said that today is a ray of hope for all those citizens who were worried about the implementation of this law for the last several months.

It is worth noting that last year the BJP government at the Center got the Waqf Amendment Bill passed in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on the basis of its numerical majority. Many petitions were filed against this law from different states of the country, in which the stance was taken that this amendment law is not only against the spirit of the Indian Constitution, but also directly attacks the constitutional rights of the minorities. Today, the Supreme Court of the country issued an important interim order and stayed the implementation of many provisions of this controversial amendment law. This decision not only weakened the government’s position, but also provided temporary relief to millions of people concerned about this law. This move of the court is being seen in political, social and legal circles as a demonstration of the supremacy of the Constitution.