Mumbai: After the issue of delay and irregularities in the construction of maternity hospital in Bhiwandi was raised in the Assembly, Health Minister Prakash Abitkar announced that local MLA Rais Shaikh will personally visit the hospital along with senior officials and necessary action will be taken on his report. Abitkar announced that he will work to equip the hospital and arrange personnel there to make it operational as soon as possible.

Abitkar made this remark while responding to the issue raised by Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh during the Q&A session in the Assembly on Wednesday. Bhiwandi city and rural areas have a population of 1.8 million, yet there is only one IGM hospital. MLA Rais Shaikh said that this hospital is able to provide service to only 27 percent of the women of the area, while the remaining 73 percent women have to go to Mumbai and other places for treatment.

Highlighting the delay and irregularities in the construction of the Mother and Child Hospital, MLA Rais Shaikh said that the deadline for this project is 400 days. Today, 376 days have passed since the work order was issued, but only 36 per cent of the work has been completed. Is it possible for the government to complete the remaining 74 per cent work in just 24 days? MLA Rais Shaikh said that despite the huge delay, no action has been taken against the responsible officials or contractors.

Will the government take action against those responsible for the delay and poor quality work? How many more days will it take to complete this project? What will happen to the equipment and manpower required for the hospital? MLA Rais Shaikh demanded that a parallel process be initiated so that the hospital can start functioning as soon as possible.

Responding to various issues raised by Shaikh, Health Minister Prakash Abitkar suggested that MLA Rais Shaikh should visit the hospital within a month along with the Deputy Director and Superintending Engineer. A report of this visit will be prepared. Action will be taken against the irregularities mentioned in the report and your suggestions will be implemented to start the hospital as soon as possible. The work of the mother and child hospital is expected to be completed by November. We will soon place the necessary orders for the required equipment and manpower, Abitkar said.

Mumbai, March 12, 2025: The Mumbai Sessions Court has granted anticipatory bail to MLA Abu Asim Azmi in connection with two cases of alleged hate speech registered at the Marine Drive police station.

The cases were filed following allegations that Mr. Azmi had praised Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of a particular community.

Defense Argues Lack of Malicious Intent
Appearing on behalf of Mr. Azmi, senior counsel Mubin Solkar argued that the FIR failed to establish any recognizable offense and did not demonstrate that Mr. Azmi had made the statements with deliberate or malicious intent to outrage religious sentiments.

Solkar contended that the remarks were made in response to sudden questions posed by reporters as Mr. Azmi exited the Maharashtra Assembly, rather than during a pre-planned interview or podcast. This, he argued, indicated that the statements were spontaneous and lacked any premeditated intent to offend or insult.

Selective Use of Statements in FIR
The defense also highlighted procedural lapses, pointing out that the complainant had not provided the police with a complete transcript or an audio-video recording of the interaction. Instead, selective statements were allegedly taken out of context to frame the allegations in the FIR.

Solkar argued that the FIR had been registered in haste, without proper verification of whether the statements made by Mr. Azmi actually constituted an offense under the law.

Court’s Decision and Bail Conditions
After hearing the arguments, the court granted anticipatory bail to Mr. Azmi, setting the bail amount at ₹20,000 with a surety of the same amount. The court directed Mr. Azmi to appear at the Marine Drive police station for three days and cooperate with the ongoing investigation.

The legal team representing Mr. Azmi included Advocates Tahir Hussain, Anas Shaikh, Ubaid Ghawte, Hemal Shah, and Sumaiya Khan, led by senior advocate Mubin Solkar.

This ruling provides temporary relief to Mr. Azmi as the investigation continues. The case has sparked conversations around free speech, political discourse, and the boundaries of public statements made by elected representatives.

Mumbai, March 12: Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Wednesday created a ruckus and staged a walkout to protest the Mahayuti government’s “failure” to increase the monthly financial aid to beneficiaries of the Ladki Bahin Yojana from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,100.

The opposition claimed that the Mahayuti did not keep its poll promise.

The issue was raised by NCP-SP legislator Rohit Pawar who said that the government has forgotten its promise as it had not hiked the monthly aid to Rs 2,100 for women beneficiaries of Ladki Bahin Yojana. He claimed that there had been no mention in the state Budget on Monday.

Shiv Sena-UBT legislator Varun Sardesai demanded that the state government quickly pay the revised monthly financial aid to women beneficiaries. As there was no response from the government, the opposition walked out of the Assembly.

Notably, Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar after presenting the Budget of the Mahayuti government asserted: “We had only said during the Assembly election that we will increase the aid if voted to power. Have I ever made a statement about when the aid will be given? Show me. We will announce when there will be a rise and after that, the women beneficiaries will start getting it.”

Further, Chief Minister Fadnavis also said that the increased payout to beloved sisters is being worked out. During the debate on the annual Budget, the opposition leaders, including Jayant Patil, Vijay Wadettiwar, and Jitendra Awhad, among others, allegedly slammed the government for not increasing the monthly aid to Rs 2,100 for women beneficiaries.

Earlier, the opposition before the commencement of the proceedings of both the Houses of state legislature staged a protest at the entrance of the Vidhan Bhavan demanding the announcement of a farm loan waiver.

On the farm loan waiver, Ajit Pawar had claimed he never made any statement in this regard.