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Court extends Sanjay Raut’s ED custody till Aug 8; wife summoned

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 A Mumbai Special Court on Thursday extended Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut’s custody to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) by 4 days till August 8.

The ED has also summoned Raut’s wife Varsha for investigation after certain fresh details have emerged in the case.

Raut, who was arrested in the early hours of Monday in an alleged money-laundering case, was remanded to ED custody till August 4 and produced before a Special PMLA Court this afternoon.

The ED sought an extended custody for Raut till August 10 as it had secured certain documents and wanted to probe related matters, besides investigating other accused in the 2018 case pertaining to money-laundering arising out of the Patra Chawl redevelopment project in Goregaon.

At the hearing, Raut and his lawyers informed the Special Judge M.G. Deshpande of lack of proper ventilation in his jail cell but the ED lawyers dismissed the charges saying he is lodged in an airconditioned cell.

Pleading for custody till August 10, the ED’s Special Counsel Hiten Venegaonkar argued that Raut was not cooperating with the investigators and evading replies, the sleuths wanted to probe the bank transactions in his wife (Varsha Sanjay Raut)’s accounts, comprising Rs 1.08 crore and an additional Rs 1.17 crore.

Raut’s Senior Advocate Manoj Mohite contended that the ED has already carried out a thorough probe and his client’s statement was recorded prior to the arrest on August 1, but hardly any investigation was done after he was taken into custody with the same allegations being repeated.

Special Judge Deshpande said that the ED has made legitimate progress in its probe and certain aspects require to be investigated by confronting the accused with the witnesses.

It may be recalled that the ED had raided Raut’s residence in Bhandup at dawn on Sunday (July 31), interrogated him at his home for nearly 10 hours before taking him to the agency’s office under detention for further questioning, and finally arrested him shortly after midnight on Monday.

The ED has alleged that one of the project developers who indulged in a scam of over Rs 1,039 crore is a close associate of Sanjay Raut.

Raut’s team has claimed that the entire case is politically motivated and intended to harass him as he has been exposing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since the past over two-and-half years.

Meanwhile, Raut’s brother, Shiv Sena MLA Sunil Raut said that they had full faith in the judiciary and the BJP is scared of him.

Crime

Mumbai: Drunk Man Attacks Woman Doctor, Vandalises Her Audi Car In Powai; Case Filed

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Mumbai: A 31-year-old woman doctor was allegedly attacked by a drunken man who also vandalised her luxury Audi car in Powai in the early hours of Sunday. The victim, employed at Asian Heart Hospital in Bandra Kurla Complex, had just returned home from duty when the incident occurred, leaving her shaken.

The doctor reached Filterpada around 5 am and parked her red Audi car near a tempo stand before walking towards her residence. Suddenly, a man identified as Abdullah Zuber Khan, a local resident of Pathanwadi, confronted her. Allegedly under the influence of alcohol, Khan was armed with a 1.5-foot knife and a three-foot-long iron rod. Without provocation, he reportedly charged at the woman, forcing her to flee to safety.

The doctor managed to escape and rushed home, later returning with her mother and brother. By then, Khan had shifted his aggression towards her vehicle, smashing the Audi parked near Shreenath Medical. He reportedly shattered the rear and side windows of the car. When confronted by the family, Khan allegedly brandished his knife, shouted threats and caused panic among locals before fleeing the scene.

The shaken doctor immediately alerted the police control room. A patrol team, including a male and female constable from Powai police, quickly arrived at the spot. The officers assured the woman of protection, began searching for the accused and directed her to lodge a formal complaint at Powai Police Station.

Based on her statement, the police registered a case against Khan for attempted assault, criminal intimidation, vandalism and creating public disturbance. He has been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, and copsare working to trace his whereabouts.

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Maharashtra

‘Enforce GR, Issue Kunbi Certificates To Marathas Before Sep 17’: Maratha Quota Activist Manoj Jarange Patil To Maharashtra Govt

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Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Quota activist Manoj Jarange on Monday demanded that the Maharashtra government implement a GR issued last week for issuing Kunbi caste certificates to Marathas before September 17, or else he will take a “tough decision” again.

Jarange ended his five-day-old fast for quota in Mumbai on September 2 when the government announced forming a committee to issue Kunbi caste certificates to Maratha community members with historical evidence of their Kunbi heritage, a social group classified as an Other Backward Class (OBC) in the state.

The government made the announcement in a resolution and it followed hectic talks between state ministers and Jarange.

The Kunbi is a traditional farming community in the state and they have been included in the list of OBC category in Maharashtra in order to make them eligible for government reservations in jobs and education.

The government resolution (GR) issued by the social justice and special assistance department also mentioned about implementing the Hyderabad gazetteer.

“We expect that the government will ask the taluka level offices in the state to act upon the GR. We expect that the work should start before September 17. If not done, I will have to make tough decisions,” Jarange told reporters at a hospital in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

He has been undergoing treatment at the hospital since he called off his agitation in Mumbai last week.

“The distribution of certificates should start based on the GR before September 17. I believe the government will act on it. If they listen to someone from Yeola (apparently referring to minister Chhagan Bhujbal) and anything goes wrong, we will also challenge the 1994 GR that gave our reservation to others,” Jarange said.

Bhujbal, an OBC leader, has been opposing reservation to Marathas under the Other Backward Classes category.

September 17 is observed as the Marathwada Liberation Day. It marks the anniversary of Marathwada’s integration with India and the annexation of Hyderabad state, which was under the rule of Nizam, into the Union of India.

Jarange also claimed some Maratha scholars, who claimed the GR will not help the community, have “gone crazy” and are not able to sleep because of the government order.

“The Maratha community in the state should be a little patient (about the GR),” the activist said.

“We will announce our policy further at the Dussehra rally at Narayangad in Beed. It (rally) will not be very big, but it will take place,” he said.

Notably, activist Vinod Patil, who has filed petitions in courts concerning the Maratha quota, last week called GR on granting Kunbi certificates to eligible community members “completely useless”.

The GR, issued after Jarange launched the agitation, will not benefit the community in any meaningful way, claimed Patil.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai: Over 100 Mobile Phones, Gold Chains Stolen During Lalbaugcha Raja Visarjan

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Mumbai: The immersion procession of Lalbaugcha Raja, one of Mumbai’s most iconic Ganesh idols, witnessed massive crowds on Anant Chaturdashi. Amid the heavy turnout, over 100 mobile phones and several gold chains were reported stolen, according to Mumbai Police.

The police have registered more than 100 complaints related to mobile thefts and chain snatching during the event. So far, they have recovered four mobile phones and two gold chains. Authorities also confirmed the arrest of four individuals and the detention of 12 others in connection with chain-snatching cases.

Taking advantage of the large crowds during the visarjan of the Lalbaugcha Raja 2025, the accused carried out thefts in different parts of the procession route. The Lalbaugcha Raja procession draws lakhs of devotees every year in Mumbai.

Yesterday, after a 28-hour journey, the immersion of Mumbai’s most beloved Ganesh idol, Lalbaugcha Raja, finally concluded late on Sunday night, following repeated efforts by organisers, civic officials, and local fishermen to overcome the challenges posed by the sea.

The grand procession began from the Lalbaug pandal on Saturday afternoon and, as per tradition, was expected to reach Girgaon Chowpatty by early Sunday morning. The idol arrived at the beach between 5:00 am and 7:00 am, but what was meant to be a seamless immersion quickly turned into a day-long wait.

The sea turned rough earlier than forecast. A high tide of 4.42 metres hit around 11:40 am, making it impossible to align the idol with the immersion raft. Repeated attempts by the Lalbaugcha Raja Mandal volunteers to move the idol onto the platform failed as the currents lifted the base and destabilised the structure.

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