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Monday,31-August-2026
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Bombay High Court Questions Authority Of Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde Over Staying Vashi Demolition Notices

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Mumbai: The Bombay High Court, on Wednesday, asked under what authority Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who is also the state urban development minister, stayed demolition notices issued by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) against two allegedly illegal buildings in Vashi.

A bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Ashwin Bhobe was hearing a petition filed by NGO Conscious Citizen Forum challenging Shinde’s March 13 stay order. The NGO has urged the court to quash the order as “arbitrary, illegal, ultra vires and untenable in law”, and direct the NMMC to enforce its March 3 demolition notices.

According to the plea, NMMC had issued the notices under Section 53(1A) of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act after years of delay and repeated complaints from activists. The targeted structures include the 14-storey Naivedya building, which allegedly violated FSI (floor space index) norms and approved plans, and the Dwing of Albela, a seven-storey building rebuilt in 2003 after the original Cidco structure was demolished. The petition notes that neither building has an occupation certificate, yet flats have been sold to third parties.

The court observed that although the petition did not involve encroachment on public land, it raised a serious issue regarding illegal structures. “After due procedure, the competent authority concluded that demolition was necessary and issued notices. However, on the very same day the housing societies approached the Deputy CM, he stayed the proceedings, thwarting further action,” the bench said.

The assistant government pleader sought time to take instructions and respond. The court has listed the matter for further hearing on September 20.

Crime

3-year-old nursery student sexually assaulted at Delhi school; bus driver arrested

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New Delhi, Aug 31: A case involving the sexual assault of a three-year-old nursery student at a private school in Delhi Bawana has come to light. Police have arrested a school bus driver in connection with the incident, officials said on Monday.

The accused, identified as Vikas, had been working as a bus driver at the school for around eight months. According to police, he allegedly befriended the child by offering her chocolates and subsequently sexually abused her on multiple occasions.

Police arrested Vikas from the school premises after the child’s identity and allegations were established during the investigation.

The case came to light on the night of August 19, when the child’s family noticed injury marks on her body and became concerned about her condition.

When the child’s mother questioned her about what had happened, the girl reportedly spoke about a “bad uncle” at her school who used to give her chocolates. As the three-year-old was unable to identify the man by name, the family approached the school administration and sought its help in finding out who the person was.

On August 24, the child was shown photographs of school staff and CCTV footage from the school premises as part of efforts to identify the person she had mentioned. Police said the girl identified Vikas as the man she had referred to as the “bad uncle”.

Following the identification, the school informed the police about the matter. An FIR was subsequently registered under the relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, following which the accused school bus driver was arrested.

According to the allegations being investigated by police, the accused followed the girl when she was going towards the bathroom. He allegedly offered her chocolates and then touched her inappropriately under the stairs of the school.

During the investigation, police also seized the accused’s mobile phone. Officials said the device contained several videos showing him feeding chocolates to young children.

Police are now working to identify the children seen in those videos. The children are also being counselled as part of the ongoing investigation and to ensure their safety and well-being.

Investigators have also collected and seized CCTV footage from cameras installed at different locations on the school premises. The footage is being examined to establish the sequence of events and determine whether there were any other instances involving the accused.

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Crime

16-year-old gang-raped in moving sleeper bus in UP, abandoned at Delhi’s Kashmere Gate

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New Delhi, Aug 31: A 16-year-old girl was gang-raped inside an empty sleeper bus by its driver and conductor in Greater Noida earlier this month, police said on Monday, adding that both accused have been arrested in connection with the case.

According to police, the incident took place near Pari Chowk on August 4. The survivor alleged in her complaint that the two accused sexually assaulted her and threatened to kill her if she resisted. They later abandoned her near Kashmere Gate in Delhi.

The accused, identified as driver Kuldeep and conductor Sandeep, were arrested from a parking area in Timarpur on the same day.

Police have seized the bus and sent it for forensic examination. Investigators have also collected CCTV footage from the route taken by the bus as part of the probe. Police said the footage is being examined to establish the sequence of events and trace the movements of the vehicle.

The teenager is a resident of Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh. Police said she had left her home without informing her family after her mother reprimanded her over her studies. She was travelling to Noida Sector 63, where her cousin lives.

According to the girl’s statement to police, she mistakenly got down at Pari Chowk amid heavy rain and darkness. After realising that she had reached the wrong location, she tried to find another vehicle and eventually stopped the sleeper bus. Police said there were no passengers inside the bus at the time.

The conductor allegedly told the girl that the bus was heading towards NoidaSector 63, following which she boarded the vehicle. Police said the bus was actually returning empty after undergoing repairs at a workshop in Surajpur.

The girl alleged that soon after the bus began moving, the conductor started behaving inappropriately towards her. She further alleged that both men then sexually assaulted her and threatened to kill her if she resisted.

After the assault, the two accused abandoned the girl near Ring Road in Delhi’s Kashmere Gate and fled from the spot. She subsequently approached the police and reported the incident, following which an investigation was launched.

Kuldeep and Sandeep have been booked under charges relating to gang rape, kidnapping and assault.

Police said the sleeper bus had curtains covering the individual berths, which may have provided privacy inside the vehicle during the alleged crime.

As part of the forensic investigation, teams recovered strands of the girl’s hair from inside the bus. The vehicle has been seized, and forensic examination is being conducted to collect further evidence that could support the investigation.

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Crime

JPSC-JSSC scam: CID uncovers result manipulation, answer scripts rewritten outside strong rooms

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Ranchi, Aug 31: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), probing irregularities in Jharkhand’s JPSC and JSSC recruitment examinations, has uncovered a massive scam involving a sophisticated racket that ranged from software-based result manipulation to removing answer scripts from highly secure strong rooms for rewriting.

The revelations have come from statements of arrested employees and directors of examination-conducting agencies, as well as middlemen interrogated during the CID probe.

Investigators have found evidence suggesting that answer scripts were taken out of secure strong rooms, rewritten by experts at hotels and rented flats, and later returned clandestinely to the storage facilities.

The CID is currently expanding its investigation by examining technical evidence, server logs and financial transactions linked to the alleged syndicate.

According to the CID’s Special Investigation Team (SIT), outsourced agencies responsible for conducting examinations allegedly developed software and online portals specifically designed to manipulate examination results.

During questioning, accused Hemant Verma, an employee of vendor agency TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd, stated that the modus operandi was similar to the irregularities reported in Uttar Pradesh’s RO-ARO examination.

He alleged that in 2025, the directors of TDPL collaborated with a private company to develop a customised software platform for JPSC examinations. He told investigators that this software enabled operators to identify favoured candidates before examinations and alter their answers directly through the database.

Further disclosures on manipulation in the main examination came from the statements of the accused recorded by the CID.

According to these statements, answer scripts were deposited in the strong room at the JPSC office after examinations and blank answer sheets belonging to selected candidates were secretly removed.

The answer scripts were then allegedly handed over by TDPL directors Ramveer Singh, Satyapal Singh, Pradeep Kumar Singh and Mohammad Usmani to experts at various hotels and rented accommodations. In the presence of specialists and the concerned candidates, answers were filled into the scripts before they were covertly returned to the strong room.

Another key accused, Abhay Tiwari, also admitted before the CID that after the preliminary examination for Assistant Conservator of Forest and Forest Range Officer posts, a room was rented at Hari Om Tower in Ranchi under the pretext of preparing for the main examination.

According to his statement, agents of the racket brought subject experts from Punjab, Haryana and Lucknow to write answer scripts on behalf of candidates.

The investigation has further revealed that, after the answer-writing process, attempts were allegedly made to inflate candidates’ marks by approaching professors from various colleges and universities. In his confession, Abhay Tiwari claimed he paid Rs 40 lakh to get answer scripts written and secured higher marks for his candidates.

The CID has intensified its probe to establish the full extent of the network and identify all individuals involved in the alleged examination fraud.

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