New Delhi, Sep 17: Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the dream of a developed India by 2047 has today become the collective resolve of every citizen, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Wednesday.

Wishing PM Modi on his 75th birthday, the minister said that in the past 11 years, “your tireless hard work and dedication have brought unprecedented transformation in the lives of crores of Indians”.

“You have ignited the lamp of patriotism in the heart of every citizen and awakened a resolve for active participation in nation-building. May God grant you excellent health and a long life, so that you continue to serve Mother India with the same dedication and energy in the coming years,” Joshi noted in a post on X.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that meeting PM Modi for the first time as a member of his cabinet was a truly unforgettable experience for him.

“His deep interest in every subject, open mindedness, and out of the box perspective gave me new energy and inspired me to fulfill my responsibilities with even greater dedication and enthusiasm,” he posted on X.

“That one experience endowed me with the ability to serve the people with complete devotion for a lifetime, and for that, I will always remain deeply grateful to him from the bottom of my heart,” Scindia emphasised.

He further stated that PM Modi is dedicated to the development of every individual and is devoted to the principles of Antyodaya.

Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jitin Prasada, said that under PM Modi’s leadership, the significant decision of GST reforms will not only simplify and ease the lives of citizens but also provide new energy to the industry and business world, while promoting local production and entrepreneurship.

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday quashed the money laundering case against Chamankar Enterprises and its three partners, who were accused of irregularities in the award of contracts for the Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi, the RTO building at Tardeo and an SRA project in Kalina.

A bench of Justices Ajey Gadkari and Rajesh Patil quashed the FIR against Krishna Shantaram Chamankar, Prashant Shantaram Chamankar, and Prasanna Shantaram Chamankar and their firm Chamankar Enterprises.

They had moved the HC after the special PMLA court in October 2024 declined to discharge them, holding that the “scheduled offence is not finally absolved by a court on account of discharge.”

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had booked Chamankars in 2015, alleging that in return for the projects, kickbacks were paid to family members of then PWD minister Chhagan Bhujbal.

Although the ACB case was closed in July 2021, with the trial court discharging the firm and its directors, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) continued with a prosecution under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on the same allegations.

Petitioners’ counsel pointed out that the discharge order passed by the special court on July 31, 2021, had not been challenged for over four years and had thus “attained finality”.

The trial court had categorically held that Maharashtra Sadan and other projects “were constructed as per the contract” and that “there was no material against the petitioners”, their plea contended.

The ED opposed the plea, citing a Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) High Court ruling that PMLA prosecution can continue even if the predicate offence is quashed. However, the agency admitted that they were discharged from the predicate offence.

The HC rejected this argument, stressing that the J&K ruling had no binding effect in Maharashtra and that the Supreme Court’s precedents in other cases were clear.

“It is an admitted fact on record that the petitioners have been discharged by the trial court from the predicate offence registered by the ACB, and the said order has attained finality,” the bench observed in its detailed order.

Relying on the apex court’s finding that acquittal or discharge in the predicate offence extends to those named in a related PMLA case, the HC held: “The conclusion enumerated by the Hon’ble Supreme Court…. squarely applies. Therefore, the ECIR and the charge-sheet filed thereof deserve to be quashed and set aside.”

The Maharashtra Sadan, the state government’s guesthouse in New Delhi, was redeveloped during Chhagan Bhujbal’s tenure as PWD minister. The project became the centre of a major controversy after allegations surfaced that contracts were awarded to firms linked to Bhujbal’s associates in exchange for kickbacks.

The ACB registered a case in 2015, leading to Bhujbal’s arrest and prosecution. Although the Chamankars were named in the alleged scam, the trial court in 2021 discharged them, finding no irregularities in the awarding of contracts or execution of work.

Bhujbal was arrested in 2015 and remained in custody until he was granted bail by the HC in 2018. In 2021, a special court discharged Bhujbal, his son Pankaj, nephew Sameer (former MP), and five others from the ACB case.

Mumbai: A four-year-old girl was allegedly sexually harassed at a renowned school on Link Road, Goregaon (West) on September 16. The Goregaon police arrested a 40-year-old female assistant staff member of the school. The city civil and sessions court in Dindoshi remanded the accused into police custody until September 19.

According to the police, the girl’s grandmother dropped her off and picked her up every day. On Monday, when her grandmother was changing the girl’s clothes after returning home from school, the girl complained that she was experiencing pain in a particular part of her body.

Subsequently, her parents approached the school informed to principal, then visited a private hospital for a check-up, and then went to Goregaon police station to register the complaint.

The police registered the case under the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act and arrested a female assistant staff member. A police officer said that they are reviewing CCTV footage and that further investigation is ongoing. According to sources, the police called in three female assistant staff members for questioning.