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Maharashtra

Bombay HC Orders SRA To Issue Commencement Certificate For Vile Parle Slum Redevelopment, Raps Officials For Delay

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Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has come down heavily on the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) and other officials for allegedly stalling a slum redevelopment project at Vile Parle, Mumbai, and directed them to issue a commencement certificate (CC) to Sateri Builders & Developers LLP.

Court Clears Builder’s Plea

A bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Arif Doctor on Friday allowed the writ petition filed by Sateri Builders and a slum society, Shree Gurukrupa SRA CHS, challenging repeated obstructions to the project. The bench noted that despite the project having been cleared earlier by the court and the Supreme Court, the authorities were still raising fresh objections.

Redevelopment Dispute Since 2020
The dispute relates to a plot and an adjoining D.P. Road plot on Dayaldas Road, which the developer was appointed to redevelop under a Slum Rehabilitation Scheme in November 2020. The SRA had granted a Letter of Intent (LOI) and Intimation of Approval (IOA) in May 2022 after directing the developer to also accommodate persons affected by the road widening (PAPs).

However, some slum dwellers and a rival developer allegedly backed by a local MLA, Parag Alavani (respondent 9), challenged the approvals. Though the Apex Grievance Redressal Committee (AGRC) initially set aside the LOI in July 2022, the high court reinstated it in April 2024, and the apex court upheld that order in May 2024.

Petitioners Accuse MLA of Interference

Society’s advocates Mayur Khandeparkar and Rishi Bhatt too submitted that the project was unnecessarily being stalled due to interference by Alavani.

Developers Claim Project Stymied

Senior advocate Anil Sakhare and advocate Yogesh Sankpal, appearing for the builder, argued that “the entire redevelopment was being systematically stymied at every stage solely due to the interference of Respondent No. 9, acting in support of a rival developer.”

He pointed out that the SRA even issued a fresh notice on July 31, 2025, asking for another proposal for the D.P. Road plot despite its inclusion already being approved and upheld.

Court Pulls Up SRA for Abdicating Duty

The court observed: “It would indeed reflect a most sorry state of affairs when any statutory authority abdicates its statutory duties on account of any extraneous or extrajudicial intervention… Respondent No. 2 (SRA) appears to have done so in the present case.”

State Defends Housing Minister’s Role

Advocate General Birendra Saraf, appearing for the state, clarified that the Housing Minister “merely held a meeting and has not issued any binding directions nor any decision was taken,” and that the SRA must act independently.

HC Orders CC to Be Issued Without Delay

Noting that the builder had complied with its obligations, including rent deposits for PAPs, the court said there was “absolutely no reason” to withhold the CC. It directed the authorities to “complete the procedure and issue the CC” and restrained them from entertaining “any complaints and/or interference from Respondents 8 (Pagrani Universal Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, another developer) and 9 insofar as they pertain to the present slum scheme.”

The court emphasized that the Slums Act is a welfare legislation enacted to improve the living conditions of persons compelled to reside in slums, in poverty, filth and squalor.

“The primary object of the Slums Act is to ensure that slum dwellers are protected from eviction without rehabilitation and are provided with decent, secure, and hygienic housing/living conditions,” the bench added.

Maharashtra

Controversy over offering prayers at Hazrat Khwaja Shah Dargah in Pune Saniwar Wada… Hindu organizations protest, tense situation, peace maintained, police arrangements increased.

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Mumbai: In the ancient historical fort of Saniwar Wada area of ​​Pune, Muslim women offered Friday prayers in the premises of the shrine of Hazrat Khwaja Syed Shah (may Allah be pleased with him), after which the police have registered a case against the three prayers and started an investigation. A conspiracy has started to give this incident a religious color. BJP MP Medha Kulkarni took out a front here to straighten out the area and demanded that a case be registered. The police have registered a case against the three unidentified women under pressure from Hindu organizations, while the situation in Pune has become extremely tense after this incident.

The video of the three worshippers offering prayers went viral on social media at the time, on this basis the police have registered a case, while in Pune, Medha Kulkarni said that offering prayers in Saniwar Wada will not be tolerated. After offering prayers in Saniwar Wada, politics has also started on it by giving it a Hindu-Muslim color. After the video went viral, a Hindu organization named Patis Pawan filed a written complaint and the police have registered a complaint on the complaint of Ishwar Babban Kode. The accused have not been arrested yet. There is a fear that Hindu organizations will once again stage a protest in Saniwar Wada. After rejecting the protest, sectarians led by Medha Kulkarni raised slogans of Jai Shri Ram and hoisted saffron flags on the dargah’s lattice. Not only that, Siddhi Karan was performed outside the premises and Gautam Buddha was sprayed. The situation is peaceful, but tension remains. This dargah is under the influence of the Waqf Board and now Hindu organizations have also started demanding the removal of this shrine. The police have issued an alert after this incident and have increased the arrangements.

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Maharashtra

“Mumbai Deepfake Fake Video Share Trading Fraud Interstate Gang Uncovered ; 4 arrested”

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Mumbai: The Cyber ​​Cell of Mumbai Crime Branch has claimed to have busted an inter-state gang that was trying to lure investors into investing in the share market by creating fake and deepfake videos of experts on a renowned business news channel. The complainant is a registered analyst with SEBI. On September 29, 2025, an attempt was made to lure investors into investing in the share market by using his fake deepfake video on social media. The complainant is a share trading expert and also works for various companies. An attempt was made to deceive him by creating a deepfake video on his Instagram. When the complainant got the information, he filed a complaint against him at the Cyber ​​Police Station. When the investigation was started, his trace was found in another state. The accused were working as an inter-state gang. The accused were arrested from Bengaluru, Karnataka. The accused have been identified as Jijel Sebastian, 44, of Bengaluru, Dipane Tapan Banerjee, 40, of Karnataka, Daniel Arudha is 25 years old from Bengaluru, and Chandrashekhar is 42 years old. This interstate gang has created deepfake accounts on social media including Facebook to lure big companies into share trading and has cheated ordinary citizens and companies on deepfake social media accounts to prepare companies for fraud and has violated the terms and conditions of the share market company. This gang has created fake accounts several times. The accused have created a Facebook ID in the name of Wellelip India Services Private Limited and received 30 million Indian currency in Dubai currency from a Chinese citizen in the name of investment. In India and Mumbai, fraud is being committed in the name of share trading under the guise of deepfake and fake videos. Therefore, creating such fake videos on social media and committing fraud is a serious crime and action will be taken against it. This action has been taken by the Cyber ​​Cell of Mumbai Crime Branch here on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti. DCP of Mumbai Cyber ​​Crime Parshottam Karad said that this action has been taken in the case of cyber fraud and this interstate gang has created fake accounts on social media. Fraud was committed by creating an account, so there is a need to be alert during share trading. Cases of creating deep fake accounts of famous companies have come to light. Attempts to commit fraud are being made by creating fake accounts of famous companies on Instagram and Facebook. Therefore, verification is mandatory before share trading. Before share trading, one should invest in the share market only after consulting an authentic and experienced SEBI officer and expert. Do not trust social media and avoid investing on the basis of calls and SSMs on social media. This poses a risk of fraud. So far, the police have registered more than 600 cases of share trading, in which fraud of Rs 400 crore has been committed and in many cases, money has been recovered and frozen from the bank account. These accused also used to create deep fake videos with the help of AI.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai: BEST Employees Receive ₹31,000 Diwali Bonus Credited Ahead Of Festival, Bringing Festive Cheer To 23,596 Staff

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Mumbai: Bringing festive cheer ahead of Diwali, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking has announced an ‘ Bonus ‘of Rs 31,000 (Rupees Thirty-One Thousand Only) to each of its 23,596 officers and employees. The bonus amount was credited directly into their bank accounts on Friday, October 17, 2025 (Vasu Baras), much to the delight of the workforce.

This year’s ex-gratia amount marks an increase compared to last year, and has created a wave of happiness among the employees. The timely credit of the Diwali bonus ahead of the festival has given employees the financial boost to make festive purchases on the occasion of Dhanteras.

BEST Workers Union office-bearers met with the newly appointed General Manager of BEST, Dr. Sonia Sethi recently, at the BEST Bhavan in Colaba. During the meeting, discussions were held regarding long-standing demands of the employees, including the Diwali ex-gratia. Dr. Sethi assured the union representatives that BEST employees would receive a Diwali bonus on par with their counterparts in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

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