Mumbai: A panic broke out at the Bombay High Court on Thursday, December 18, after authorities received a bomb threat, prompting an immediate evacuation of the premises. Security across the area was tightened as a precautionary measure. bomb threats were also received at several magistrate courts, including Bandra, Andheri, and Esplanade.

The Bandra Metropolitan Court also received a bomb threat via email, triggering an immediate response from the Mumbai Police and the bomb squad.

Soon after the threat was received, security teams rushed to the court premises and carried out a thorough search. However, no suspicious object was found during the inspection. Mumbai Police have also launched an investigation to trace the source of the threatening email, identify the sender, and ascertain the motive behind it.

Similarly, in Nagpur, the District and Sessions Court received an email in the morning claiming that two RDX-based explosive devices would soon go off in the building. The email prompted the police to launch an immediate search of the court, which is located in the Civil Lines area. However, the threat turned out to be a hoax as nothing suspicious was found.

Earlier in September, the Azad Maidan police had registered an FIR against an unidentified person for allegedly sending a hoax email about a bomb threat to the Bombay High Court. The case was filed under Sections 353(1) and 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for statements causing public mischief.

According to police, the email claimed that a blast would occur inside the court premises, triggering panic just hours after a similar threat was reported in Delhi. The High Court suspended hearings for nearly two hours, and the entire building was evacuated as a precaution

Mumbai: The stenographer posted at court at Mazgaon, Chandrakant Vasudev, was arrested allegedly for demanding and accepting bribes allegedly on behalf of the Additional Sessions Judge, Civil Sessions Court, Court No. 14, Mazagon. Aejazuddin S. Kazi has again approached the special ACB court for bail. The plea is likely to be heard on Thursday.

Vasudev was arrested on November 10 for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 15 lakh in exchange for a favourable verdict in a land dispute case. The special court rejected his first bail plea on November 24. A second bail plea claims no need for further incarceration and investigation can proceed without detaining him.

The prosecution claims Vasudev told the agency that Kazi had instructed him to demand the bribe, and after accepting the amount, Kazi asked him to bring it to his residence. It allegedly started on September 09 when Vasudev told the complainant’s associate in the court washroom to “do something for Saheb (the Judge), and the order will be in your favour”. He later demanded Rs 10 lakh for himself and Rs 15 lakh for the judge at a café. After refusal, he threatened via WhatsApp.

New Delhi, Dec 18: The Lok Sabha descended into pandemonium on Thursday as Union Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan attempted to deliver the government’s reply on the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 (VB-G RAM-G Bill), amid relentless sloganeering and protests from the opposition benches.

Congress MP K.C. Venugopal urgently pressed Speaker Om Birla to refer the Bill — which proposes replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with a framework guaranteeing 125 days of wage employment annually — to a Standing Committee or Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) for thorough examination.

The Speaker rejected the plea, highlighting that the Bill had already been debated for over eight hours, extending late into the previous night.

Defying the uproar, Minister Chouhan pressed on with his speech, emphasising enhanced provisions under the new legislation.

“With a whopping allocation and more employment opportunities, we are creating provisions for fully developed (sampoorna viksit) villages — this is the Modi government’s objective,” he stated.

The Bill’s name itself reflects its guarantee of employment and improved livelihoods, he added, aligning it with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision.

Minister Chouhan portrayed the initiative as building a prosperous India, with plans for ideal villages equipped with all basic amenities, employment, better livelihoods, and facilities right at the village level, in line with the Viksit Bharat @2047 goal.

“PM Modi has envisioned a slew of amenities for self-reliant villages,” he asserted, undeterred by interruptions.

He also said that the Congress party had curtailed the budget from Rs 40,000 crore to Rs 35,000 crore, “while we will spend more than Rs 95,000 crore under the new scheme”.

The Bill has drawn sharp criticism from the Opposition for allegedly weakening MGNREGA’s demand-driven guarantees, shifting costs to states, and removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name — a move decried as an insult to the Father of the Nation. Supporters, however, counter that it modernises rural empowerment, boosts days from 100 to 125, and promotes convergence for infrastructure and saturation coverage.