Maharashtra
Bombay HC dismisses petitions challenging delimitation of BMC wards back to 227 from 236

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday dismissed petitions filed by former corporators challenging the Maharashtra government’s ordinance reversing the previous Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government’s decision to go ahead with the delimitation of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) wards.
The order was passed by a division bench of Justices SB Shukre and MW Chandwani while hearing petitions filed by two former councillors – Raju Pednekar and Sameer Desai.
“We find no substance in both the petitions. Both the petitions stand dismissed,” said the bench while dismissing the petitions.
In 2021, the MVA initiated the delimitation process and increased the number of electoral wards from 227 to 236. However, on August 8, the present government reduced the number of wards to 227. On September 8, the ordinance was replaced by the Act.
Pednekar, a former corporator belonging to Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), had approached the HC after the Supreme Court granted him the liberty to withdraw his plea and move the Bombay High Court regarding the issue.
He sought quashing the government’s decision stating that it was against the Constitution. Pending the hearing of his plea, he sought a stay on the decision. Further he prayed that the State Election Commission (SEC) conduct the BMC elections based on delimitation conducted earlier, as per the Supreme Court’s orders on May 4 and July 20.
His plea had contended that in February 2022, the HC had dismissed pleas against the delimitation initiated by the MVA government increasing the BMC wards to 236. It was after this, that the SEC published a final notification in the official gazette.
The government has contended that the plea has been filed with “ulterior motives”. An affidavit filed by Priyanka Chhapwale, Deputy Secretary of the Urban Development Department, contended that there was a miniscule increase in population from 2001 to 2021 census and hence wards were not increased for the elections which took place in 2012 and 2017.
The 2001 census showed Mumbai’s population as 1,19,78,450 which increased to 1,24,42,373 in 2011 which is an increase of only 3.87%. “It is a well settled principle of law that the right to contest an election does not have the status of fundamental rights. Instead the said right is a mere creature of a statute,” it said.
Stating that the law as it stood prior to Nov 30, 2021 (with 227 seats) was valid and constitutional, the government has sought that Pednekar’s plea be dismissed which has been filed with “malafide” intentions and due to “political influence”.
The State Election Commission’s (SEC) Deputy Commissioner Avinash Sanas had filed an affidavit stating that when the seats were increased by the government from 227 to 236, the SEC had to scrap the work already done by it with regard to the pre-election process and restart it. It said the previous MVA government then amended the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act by which powers of the SEC for delimitation were withdrawn and the power was entrusted with the state.
Maharashtra
Police investigation reveals that the Vikhroli fruit seller is not a Bangladeshi but an Indian citizen

Mumbai: The 19 alleged Bangladeshis who were detained by Mumbai’s Vikhroli East police have all been proven to be Indian citizens. BJP leader Kirit Somaiya had filed a complaint with the police regarding the Bangladeshis in Vikhroli market, on the basis of which the police took action and interrogated the alleged Bangladeshis and their documents were checked and investigated. It was found that all of them were Indian citizens. In this, the police took action and took into custody a total of 19 people including Shamshal Ayub Sheikh, 22-year-old fruit seller, Muhammad Manrul Sheikh, Saim Zia-ur-Rehman Sheikh, Naeem Ayub Sheikh. When they were investigated, it was found that all of them were Indian citizens. Out of these, 11 are residents of Sahibganj, Jharkhand, 7 are residents of West Bengal, Malda and one is a resident of Uttar Pradesh, this was informed by Senior Police Inspector Suryakant Naikwadi. After the way the operation was carried out in Vikhroli, these Indian workers and citizens were harassed. Will Kret Soumya now apologize in this matter because all of them have now been proven to be Indian citizens and not Bangladeshi citizens and this has been confirmed by the police.
Maharashtra
Nitish Rane only practices politics of hatred. Raees Sheikh criticizes Rane for controversial statement on buying from Hindu traders only and accuses him of spreading religious hatred.

Mumbai: After Maharashtra Fisheries Development Minister Nitish Rane made a controversial statement on buying goods only from Hindu shopkeepers, Samajwadi Party MLA from Bhiwandi East Raees Sheikh accused Rane of spreading religious hatred among communities. He also challenged Rane to tell who Syed Adil was, the man who was martyred while saving tourists in Kashmir. The Sheikh was referring to Rane’s controversial statement in which Rane had openly advised Hindus to ask about the religion of shopkeepers and buy commodities only from Hindu traders. If there is any doubt about the religion of the shopkeeper, they should be asked to recite Hanuman Chalisa, said Rane, who made the statement during a meeting in Dapoli in Ratnagiri district on Saturday, April 26.
MLA Raees Sheikh said, “The firing by Pakistani terrorists on tourists in Pahalgam on April 22, asking them about their religion, is condemnable. No Muslim in the country supports this cowardly attack. As Muslims, we stand in support of the actions against the country and Pakistan in this matter.” Sheikh added that a local Muslim, Syed Adil Hussain Shah, was martyred while fighting the terrorists and saving the tourists. “After the April 22 attack, local Muslims provided free taxis, food, and accommodation to the tourists, all these services were provided by local Muslims. Prayers are being offered for the deceased in every mosque and dargah of Jammu and Kashmir, then why is Minister Nitish Rane not talking about this?” MLA Sheikh asked. “Making meaningless inflammatory religious statements neither makes one a follower of religion nor a leader. There is no place for religious politics in India. Rane has forgotten his ministerial oath. Such statements are not supported even by his own party. Minister Rane should listen carefully to the speeches made by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat,” the MLA advised Rane, adding that India is a secular country, Sheikh added, “Unlike Pakistan, we do not run the country on the basis of religion, so Minister Nitish Rane’s statement is equally condemnable. Nitish Rane’s business is to do politics of hatred, no one took his statement on halal meat seriously.”
Maharashtra
A case of gang clash registered in Vakola. Attempt to spread rumors on social media failed, declared a conspiracy and rumor to give religious color.

Mumbai: The attempt to give a Hindu-Muslim color to the group clash in Vakola Santa Cruz area of Mumbai failed when the police registered a case of rioting in the case of group clash and started searching for the accused. According to the details, at 9:30 last night, Muslim youths were standing, at the same time, youths from another group were also standing here. A minor dispute arose between the two and this dispute took the form of violence, but an attempt has been made on social media to present this matter as a dispute over Hindu-Muslim Pahalgam and burning of the Pakistani flag, while the police have categorically denied it. The police have said that these youths often have small and petty disputes and this youth is also from the area. In such a situation, the police have made strict security arrangements as a precaution and the situation is completely under control.
According to the police, a group clash broke out over a minor issue, after which the situation is now under control, but tension remains, while there has been no Hindu-Muslim violence or conflict here, sectarian elements are trying to spoil the situation, which the police are keeping an eye on. The police said that a case of rioting has been registered after the group clash. The police have registered a case under sections 1889, 115, 191 of the BNS and the search for the accused is also underway. After registering the case, the police are now identifying the accused from the CCTV footage of the area and teams have been formed to arrest the accused. No case has been registered for the Pahalgam terrorist attack or the burning of the Pakistani flag, nor was it a case of this nature, but by giving it a religious color, sectarians in Vakola had spread such a rumor on social media to spoil the atmosphere, which the police have foiled. Advocate Yash Mishra has gone viral on social media in which the violence has been described as the opposition of Muslim youth to the protest of Hindu organizations against the Pahalgam terrorist attack and the accusation of rioting and violence in opposition to the burning of the Pakistani flag. The same police has called it completely false and a rumor.
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