General
Ascertainment of religious character of place of worship not barred by 1991 Act: Supreme Court
In an important observation, the Supreme Court on Friday orally observed that the ascertainment of the religious character of a place of worship is not barred by the Places of , 1991.
A bench, headed by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and comprising Justices Surya Kant and P.S. Narasimha said: “Ascertainment of religious character is not barred under Section 3 (of the Places of Worship Act, 1991).”
It told senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, representing the masjid committee: “Suppose there is a Parsi temple and there is a cross in the corner of the area. Does the presence of Agyari make the cross Agyari or Agyari Christian? This hybrid character is not unknown in India.”
Contesting it, Ahmadi replied that the religious character of the Gyanvapi mosque, on August 15, 1947, is not in dispute. However, counsel representing the Hindu parties insisted that is strongly in dispute.
As the bench further added that the ascertainment of the religious character of a place does not fall foul of the Section 3 and 4 of the Places of Worship Act, 1991, Ahmadi replied that if all these determinations are allowed to take place, the Act may become a dead letter.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Uttar Pradesh government, said that the Shivling should be protected.
According to Section 4 of the Act, the religious character of a place of worship existing on August 15, 1947 shall continue to be the same as it existed on that day. Section 3 of the Act says no person shall convert any place of worship of any religious denomination or any section thereof into a place of worship of a different section of the same religious denomination or of a different religious denomination or any section thereof.
Committee of Management Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Varanasi has opposed the suit relating to the Gyanvapi mosque, saying the civil court which is hearing the case is barred from doing so in view of the 1991 Act. The Supreme Court has asked the Varanasi District Judge to decide the suit.
Maharashtra
MIDC Police Station operation: Heroin worth Rs 35 million seized, suspect arrested

MIDC Police Station Anti-Narcotics Squad PI Kholam and his team were patrolling the night of August 22 to take action against people using, buying and selling drugs within their limits.
On the 23rd, at around 12:10 am, the police saw a person moving around suspiciously in front of the gate of Hemant Karkare Garden, near Sahakari Bhandar, Poonam Nagar, Jogeshwari (East), Mumbai. PI Kholam found the person’s movements suspicious and the police team tried to stop him. On seeing the police, the said person tried to run away from there, however, with the help of the police team, he was arrested on the spot. During interrogation, the person initially gave evasive answers. Later, after taking him into confidence and conducting further detailed interrogation, a dark colored powder, which was said to be Heroin, was recovered from his possession.
The police searched the said person in compliance with all the legal requirements of the NDPS Act, 1985. Heroin weighing 302 grams, worth approximately ₹3,50,00,000 (Rupees 3 crore 50 lakhs), was recovered from his possession.
In this case, a case has been registered under Section 8(c) read with Section 21(c) of the NDPS Act under Case No. 943/2026 on the basis of a complaint received at MIDC Police Station, Mumbai. During the investigation, it was also revealed that the said drugs were being supplied in the area of MIDC Police Station. Further investigation of the case is underway.
Thus, PI Kholam, Officer of the Anti-Narcotics Team of MIDC Police Station and his team carried out a remarkable operation of timely arresting the accused drug dealer Tauseef Liaquat Qazi (29) and seizing 302 grams of heroin, worth ₹3.50 crores, from his possession. The successful operation was carried out under the guidance of senior police officers, including Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti, Joint Police Commissioner Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma, Additional Police Commissioner Dr. Abhinav Deshmukh, Deputy Police Commissioner Datta Nalawade and Assistant Police Commissioner Yogesh Shinde. The operation was directly supervised by Senior Police Inspector Ghanshyam Nair and Police Inspector (Crime) Sunil Karande.
Maharashtra
FIR registered in Ganpati idol desecration case, situation under control in Mazgaon; DCP Jayant Meena targeted by Hindu organizations

Tension prevailed in the Mazgaon area of Mumbai when an incident of eggs being thrown at the Ganpati procession from a high-rise tower took place, after which the situation became tense and the police brought the situation under control and restarted the Ganpati procession. According to the details, the Ganpati procession was passing through the Mazgaon area when some unknown mischievous anti-social elements tried to desecrate the Ganpati idol by throwing eggs, after which Hindu organizations blocked the road and started a full-scale protest. DCP Jayant Meena reached the spot and tried to control the situation, but at the same time he was also surrounded by the crowd, but despite this, the DCP acted courageously and controlled the situation and established peace. But now the same DCP Jayant Meena has come on the hit list of Hindu organizations. He is being targeted on the social media accounts of Hindu organizations. This makes it clear that this raises the question that Hindu organizations do not have faith in the administration and the police. In the case of desecration of the idol of Ganpati, the police have registered a case under sections 299, 196 of the Bharatiya Naya Sanhita BNS. The accused has been identified. The police have identified him from the CCTV footage. At present, tension persists but peace is prevailing. The police have made strict security arrangements at the places. After this incident, a conspiracy to incite communal violence has also started in Mumbai city by the sectarians and after throwing eggs at the procession, Hindu extremist organizations are also criticizing the role of the DCP. DCP Jayant Meena has come under the target of Hindu extremist organizations, right wing. At present, the DCP said that the situation is peaceful and the police is taking necessary action in this matter. The police are also investigating whether more people are involved in this matter and what is the conspiracy behind it. This is the second incident of throwing eggs at Ganpati. Earlier, an egg was thrown at the idol of Ganpati in Kamatipura. Such an incident The police are also investigating why this is happening, but after this incident, it has become clear once again that Hindu extremist organizations do not trust the police action, which is why they are confronting the DCP. The police have not made any arrests in this matter so far, while the search for the accused is ongoing.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra FDA chief IAS Tukaram Mundhe takes another major action, targeting five club-restaurants, including McDonald’s.

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) suspended the food licences of prominent South Mumbai establishments, including The Bombay Presidency Radio Club, the Colaba outlet of McDonald’s and the Status Restaurant in Nariman Point, following surprise inspections in August.
The FDA has suspended the food licence of The Bombay Presidency Radio Club due to severe violations of safety and hygiene regulations. During the inspection of the club’s kitchen on Wednesday, officials found a massive breach of food safety and sanitation standards.
The inspection uncovered active fly infestations in various kitchen areas, a dead cockroach, and open cockroach traps in the utensil-washing zone.
Authorities found flaking ceiling plaster directly over food preparation areas, posing a risk of falling into food, as well as washing powders and chemicals stored right alongside food items.
Utensils and food products were discovered to be kept directly on the floor, non-vegetarian refrigerators were unhygienic, and food items were not being thawed properly.
Staff members’ sweaty helmets and clothing were found stored alongside food, kitchen doors were improperly sealed, waste bins were placed next to cooking stoves, and signs of spitting were noticed on the premises.
The inspection revealed an overall non-compliance rate of 47 per cent by the establishment.
Citing public health and safety, the FDA suspended the licence under Section 32(3) of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006.
The club has been ordered to immediately halt all food purchases, sales, and distribution during the suspension period, with a warning of stern legal action for any violations.
Authorities found widespread disregard for basic protocols, such as staff handling food without washing hands, uncalibrated refrigeration units, and a complete lack of temperature monitoring logs.
The McDonald’s kiosk in Colaba was penalised for failing 18 out of 20 safety points, submitting falsified 148-page compliance reports, and deceptively using cheese analogues without menu declarations.
Operating licences have been suspended with immediate effect under the FSS Act, 2006, barring all food manufacturing, sales, and distribution until full compliance is legally verified.
Following the raids, McDonald’s said they have zero-tolerance towards food safety hazards and are reviewing the FDA report.
“At McDonald’s, we take pride in maintaining high food safety standards across our restaurants and have a zero-tolerance approach to food safety issues. We respect the regulatory process and are reviewing the observations referenced in the report,” McDonald’s said in a statement.
“McDonald’s follows rigorous food quality, safety and hygiene standards, in line with regulatory requirements, including the use of real cheese and real paneer in our food. We believe it is important that our practices are accurately understood and represented. Our focus remains on delivering the quality and experience expected from us every day. Customers have always been welcome to take a kitchen tour and learn more about our food preparation practices,” the statement further read.
Along with the prominent South Mumbai establishments, the FDA has suspended the food registration certificate of the Khar Gymkhana due to severe hygiene lapses and critical food safety violations.
Inspections exposed a high risk of cross-contamination from unsegregated raw, cooked, vegetarian, and non-vegetarian foods. Hazardous storage of chemicals and a complete lack of pest control traps was also found.
The establishment has been ordered to immediately halt all food production, storage, purchase, sale, and distribution activities during the suspension period.
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