Mumbai: Western Railway does not have records of criminals and black marketing cases of tickets brokered by railways or found involved in these cases, this shocking revelation was made by Mumbai Western Railway in response to an RTI application filed by activist Anil Gilgali. Information provided to RTI activist Anil Gilgali by the Western Railway’s security department under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 shows that a total of 2,885 cases related to the sale of illegal railway tickets have been registered between 2021 and 2026 (till now). However, it was claimed that information about the specific agents and employees arrested in these cases is not available.

According to the data received, the following cases were registered: 684 in 2021, 629 in 2022, 655 in 2023, 538 in 2024, 249 in 2025, and 130 so far in 2026. This shows that the Railway Protection Force is taking action against Western ticketing against the RPF.

Although the RTI application also sought year-wise and zone-wise details of touts, agents and railway employees arrested in such cases in the last five years, Western Railway in its reply said that “such statistics are not maintained at the zonal headquarters level.” Consequently, the data of arrested touts, agents and employees was not provided.

RTI activist Anil Gilgli remarked that the registration of thousands of cases against ticketing highlights the seriousness of the issue. He said that the failure of Western Railway to maintain records of arrested touts, agents and employees at the zonal headquarters level weakens monitoring and accountability. He urged the railway administration to maintain a central data on such cases and make it public regularly to ensure more effective prevention of ticket fraud.

Mumbai, July 28: The Maharashtra Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Tuesday approved a substantial increase in the authorised and paid-up share capital of the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC), alongside a series of judicial and governance reforms, including the establishment of specialised courts across the state.

The Cabinet approved raising MRVC’s authorised share capital from Rs 25 crore to Rs 500 crore and increasing its paid-up share capital from Rs 25 crore to Rs 225 crore. The move is aimed at strengthening the corporation’s financial capacity to execute large-scale urban transport projects in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

MRVC’s equity structure currently comprises a 51 per cent stake held by the Ministry of Railways and a 49 per cent stake held by the Maharashtra government. Incorporated in 1999 with a paid-up capital of Rs 25 crore, the corporation’s capital base has become inadequate in view of the scale and complexity of present-day rail infrastructure projects.

MRVC is responsible for executing large-scale, transformative transit projects under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP). MUTP-III & MUTP-3A /3B include line extensions, quadruplication, station upgrades, and Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) signaling systems. Further, projects such as the 3rd and 4th lines between Pune and Lonavala are also proposed. The total ongoing portfolio handled by MRVC is valued at nearly Rs 64,644 crore.

Higher capital enables MRVC to negotiate better terms for multilateral loans (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, World Bank) and manage working capital requirements seamlessly without bottlenecking project timelines.

Further, the Cabinet granted official approval to create the post of Managing Director at the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and AgriTech Innovation under the MahaAgri-AI Policy.

The Cabinet also approved the Law and Judiciary Department’s proposals for establishment of multiple specialised and regional courts across the state. It approved setting up a dedicated Special Court in Pune to try cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

It also cleared the establishment of a District and Additional Sessions Court at Karjat (Ahilyanagar district), along with the sanctioning of required judicial and administrative posts and creation of a Civil Court (Junior Division) and Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court at Kurduwadi, Taluka Madha (Solapur district), along with sanctioned posts.

The Cabinet also cleared the establishment of Exclusive Special Courts in Ahilyanagar, Parbhani, Solapur, Nanded, and Yavatmal for the expedited hearing of cases filed under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (Amended Act, 2015).

Moreover, the Cabinet approved the promulgation of an ordinance to amend the Maharashtra Gram Panchayat Act, 1959 and the Maharashtra Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti Act, 1961. The amendment grants an extension of time for elected representatives holding reserved seats to submit their caste validity certificates issued by the Caste Scrutiny Committee.

The Cabinet also approved an amendment to Section 48(7) of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966. Under the revised provisions, illegal excavation and transportation of minor minerals will now attract a heavy fine equivalent to 10 times the royalty value.

Mumbai, July 28: In a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government and Uttar Pradesh Police, the Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray(UBT) on Tuesday accused authorities of launching a politically motivated crackdown against activists Muhammad Junaid and Shadab Saifi, who provided daily food and water to the protesters at Jantar Mantar.

In a hard-hitting editorial in its party’s mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, the Thackeray camp detailed how UP Police have targeted Junaid and his extended family, including his parents, sister, and in-laws, detaining them for up to 12 hours at a time in police stations. According to the editorial, investigators are attempting to trace the financial sources behind a 35-day relief operation that supplied meals to thousands of demonstrators daily.

The editorial alleged that the state machinery actively attempted to starve out the protest site. Authorities reportedly ordered the closure of nearby hotels, street food stalls, and commercial food delivery services across the adjacent Connaught Place area to cut off supplies. Despite these measures, and while suffering foot injuries himself, Junaid coordinated meal distribution alongside local Sikh langars (community kitchens) operating around the clock, the editorial highlighted.

The Shiv Sena(UBT) alleged that the administration was misusing state apparatus to investigate basic humanitarian acts while failing on pivotal national security issues. “The government failed to locate the terrorists behind the Pahalgam attack that killed 27 tourists, nor did it identify the source of the RDX used in the Pulwama attack that claimed 40 jawans,” the editorial noted.

“Yet, the entire machinery is deployed to track who funded Junaid’s meal drives simply because he wears a beard and a cap.” The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena further claimed that the central leadership has “nothing to do with humanity or patriotism”, asserting that Junaid and his family are being harassed simply because the administration is baffled by the scale of the community-led relief effort.

Turning the financial scrutiny back onto the ruling party, the editorial demanded equal accountability and public audits for government and political funds. The editorial called for total transparency regarding the origins, major donors, and ownership of thousands of crores deposited during the Covid-19 pandemic. It demanded an official inquiry into the thousands of crores accumulated in the BJP’s electoral funds and corporate donations.

Refusing to view the recent youth agitation as a setback, the Thackeray camp framed the Jantar Mantar demonstrations as a vibrant movement against authoritarianism. “In reality, the agitation at Jantar Mantar was not a crying movement, but a massive, vibrant festival of youth,” the editorial asserted.

“Even after enduring police lathis, pellet guns, spiked batons, and tear gas canisters, there were no signs of pain on the faces of these young people. Therefore, if ‘cockroaches’ sit together in a meeting to deliberate after the agitation ends, BJP supporters have no reason to feel hurt,” it remarked.

Concluding its critique, the Thackeray camp urged prominent figures, including climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and human rights advocates, to join forces against the alleged state oppression targeting Junaid, Saifi, and other grassroots organisers.