Connect with us
Monday,10-August-2026
Breaking News

Maharashtra

Devotion row: Maha govt mandates Ramtek Ram devotee oath for temple trustees, Oppn questions

Published

on

Mumbai, July 10: The Maharashtra government on Friday passed a Bill to reconstitute the trust governing the historic Ram temple at Ramtek, drawing sharp rebukes from Opposition leaders who question the legality and logic of legislating religious devotion.

The legislative move comes on the heels of a separate controversy surrounding the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust in Ayodhya. Rocked by an alleged Rs 1,400-crore donation theft row, the Ayodhya trust recently began searching for its first CEO, stipulating that “Ram ke prati shraddha ka bhav” (devotion to Lord Ram) is the foremost prerequisite for the role.

However, while Ayodhya’s search committee treats this as an internal hiring preference, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Maharashtra government has taken it a step further by making a declaration of faith a statutory legal requirement.

Located roughly 50 km from Nagpur, Ramtek holds immense religious significance. Local tradition holds that Lord Ram stayed there during his 14-year exile, and the site attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims annually for festivals such as Ram Navami and Kartik Purnima.

The new Bill seeks to revamp the administration of the Bhosala Devasthan at Ramtek, an ancient temple complex currently overseen by a court-appointed Sub-Divisional Officer. Under the new law, any prospective member of the trust’s management committee must submit a formal declaration affirming they are a “devotee of Shri Ram of Ramtek.”

The newly constituted board will feature government-appointed office-bearers alongside ex officio members, including the local Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) and the president of the Ramtek Municipal Council. Trustees will be entitled to an honorarium, travel allowances, and daily allowances funded directly by the temple’s management reserves.

The mandate sparked intense debate on the assembly floor, with Opposition MLAs cutting straight to the clause’s theological and practical absurdities. NCP SP MLA Jayant Patil asked how anyone could be a devotee of Lord Ram from a particular area and whether the government was dividing devotees of Lord Ram.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Varun Sardesai questioned the enforceability of the mandate, asking what the affidavit meant and whether the government had a mechanism to cross-check its authenticity.

Beyond the spiritual metrics, Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar took aim at the Bill’s financial provisions, invoking the recent financial shadow over Ayodhya. Wadettiwar noted that a total theft of Rs 1,400 crore was reported in Ayodhya.

He questioned why political leaders were being placed on the trust and why trustees should be paid allowances for serving Lord Ram.

The Bill was introduced by Minister of State Ashish Jaiswal, who represents the Ramtek Assembly constituency.

Jaiswal defended the legislation as a necessary step toward transparency, arguing that the temple’s expanding activities, growing financial footprint, and substantial properties require modernised, efficient administration.

However, Minister Jaiswal’s dual role sparked immediate pushback. NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad publicly questioned whether a clear conflict of interest existed, given that Jaiswal introduced a piece of legislation under which he would automatically secure a seat as an ex officio trustee.

Minister Jaiswal did not respond to the conflict-of-interest allegations or to the Opposition’s questions regarding the verification of the devotion affidavit.

Maharashtra

7 accused arrested in cyber fraud case of over Rs 1 crore in Mumbai

Published

on

Mumbai: The Cyber ​​Police Station has claimed to have solved the mystery of a cyber crime in which the complainant was threatened with digital arrest on WhatsApp from April 2 to April 18, 2026, and was involved in a money laundering case and was defrauded of Rs 16.74 crore online by sending fake electronic documents. During the technical investigation, the police have arrested 7 accused, identified as Sanjay Hiralal, 57, who used to generate OTPs, the 32-year-old female accused used to hide the fraudulent money, Rishi Ramchandra Meena, 38, who used to transfer the fraudulent money to bank accounts, Naushad Ali, 31, who digitally arrested the complainant and the victim and worked in this gang digitally, Muhammad Khalid Hafeezuddin Saif, 27, a digital expert, Jogesh Mehta, 43, and Zubair Hussain, 27, who helped them deposit the fraudulent money in their accounts. 613 mobile phones, 2 laptops, 5 digital sign devices were recovered from the possession of the accused. SIM cards of several companies, 10 cheque books, 2 passbooks and 2 ATM cards have been seized. DCP Bajrang Bansode told the press conference that there is no such thing as digital arrest and in such a situation, do not keep in touch on unknown social media accounts. If someone threatens digital arrest, do not believe them.

Continue Reading

Maharashtra

Mumbai: Mystery of Santa Cruz robbery solved during police operation, person who deposited stolen money in bank also identified, one arrested

Published

on

Mumbai: After solving the mystery of a robbery in Santa Cruz area, the police have claimed to have seized cash and other jewelries worth Rs 76.36 lakh. According to the details, between June 20 and June 27, an unknown thief broke into a house on Juhu Tara Road in Santa Cruz area for the purpose of robbery and escaped with the jewelries, cash and gold biscuits in the cupboard. In this case, the police arrested the accused Chandan Kamlesh Mukhiya, 26, a resident of Darbhanga, during technical investigation. His transit remand was obtained and he was produced in Mumbai. In this case, another absconding accused is being sought. During the investigation, it has been revealed that with the help of the absconding accused, the thief had asked his acquaintance Kailash Shah to buy land with the money and stolen property. Therefore, Kailash Shah collected the cash and transferred it to a bank account. During the investigation, the police found that Kailash Shah had collected the stolen money of Rs 46.31 lakh, therefore, the police have issued a notice to him. 200 grams of gold jewelry and Rolex watches have also been recovered. This operation was carried out under the guidance of Mumbai Additional Commissioner Abhinav Deshmukh and DCP Mohit Kumar Garg, while Santa Cruz Senior Police Inspector Dattatreya Masvekar played an important role in solving the mystery of this theft.

Continue Reading

Maharashtra

Demand for immediate installation of bus shelters in Govindi Shivaji Nagar, Abu Asim Azmi submits memorandum to BEST administration, concerned about safety of passengers

Published

on

Residents of Mumbai, Shivaji Nagar and Govind (M-East Ward) areas face significant hardship during summer, monsoon and inclement weather due to lack of bus shelters and seating arrangements at major bus stops. In this backdrop, Samajwadi Party Maharashtra state president and MLA Abu Asim Azmi has submitted a memorandum to BEST Committee Chairperson Trishna Vishwasrao, demanding immediate installation of robust bus shelters and seating facilities at these locations. Shivaji Nagar depot is one of the largest depots in Mumbai, serving a large number of passengers daily. Around 132 BEST buses ply in this area, and thousands of school and college students, women, senior citizens, pregnant women, disabled persons and workers rely on BEST services. In his memorandum, Azmi said that essential passenger amenities are missing at many of the six major bus stops in the area. Specifically, these include stops at Shivaji Nagar Depot Junction, Konkan Bank and Sai Mandir, Jafri School, 10 Feet Road No. 2, Sant Nirankari Nagar, and New Bus Depot. Due to the lack of safe waiting areas, passengers are forced to stand on the roadside and wait for buses. The memorandum highlights that this situation is especially bad for women, senior citizens, pregnant women and disabled passengers. Azmi also observed that local residents have been continuously following up with the depot manager and the civic department since 2023. Although the approval for the bus stop on Road No. 2 was reportedly given in 2024, the work has not yet started, leading to dissatisfaction among residents. Demand for joint inspection of all bus stops Azmi has demanded that the issue be taken seriously and a joint inspection of all bus stops be conducted immediately with representatives of local citizens. He further stressed that the work should be completed by installing robust bus shelters and seating arrangements at the relevant locations using BEST’s infrastructure fund.

BEST serves as a vital lifeline for the daily commute of millions of Mumbaikars, and it is essential that commuters have access to safe and dignified travel facilities. Hence, Azmi has demanded immediate action on the matter.

Continue Reading

Trending