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‘Erase all differences’: Bombay HC tells Maharashtra Governor and CM

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Bhagat-Singh-Koshyari

The Bombay High Court has expressed distress that the two apex Constitutional functionaries in Maharashtra – the Governor and Chief Minister – do not “trust” each other, and urged them to “sit together” and “erase” all their differences.

The observations came when a bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice M.S. Karnik dismissed two Public Interest Litigations, one filed by a Bharatiya Janata Party leader Girish Mahajan and other by activist Janak Vyas.

Referring to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s inaction on the nomination of 12 MLCs, pending since November 6, 2020, the bench pointed out that there was no movement even after the court’s verdict in Aug. 2021.

At that time, the court had observed that it was the Governor’s duty to decide on the recommendations of the Council of Ministers for the 12 MLCs’ nomination “within a reasonable time”.

Expressing anguish over how the court was “treated” after it passed the order, Chief Justice Datta said that now it is March 2022, and nothing has happened even after eight months.

The bench elaborated that the unfortunate part in the state was the two highest Constitutional functionaries “do not trust each other”, with both the Governor and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray “not on the same page”.

“You both please sit together and sort this out between yourselves… Who is suffering in all of this?… Erase all these differencesa Your ramblings do not take the state forward,” it observed.

Dismissing the PILs by Mahajan and Vyas, the court admonished them and ordered forfeiture of their Rs 10 lakh and Rs 2 lakh deposits which they were ordered to pay up in an earlier hearing.

The petitioners had challenged the Maha Vikas Aghadi government’s amendments to the procedures for the election of Speaker of Maharashtra Assembly, which has been pending for nearly a year now, and were proposed to be held on Wednesday (March 9), but the Governor’s nod is awaited.

They contended that the amendments were “undemocratic”, “arbitrary”, “illegal”, and “unconstitutional”, but Chief Justice Datta objected to the lack of pleadings in the PIL to demonstrate their locus or how the election of Speaker was a matter of public interest.

State Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni had strongly opposed the PILs on the grounds of maintainability and said they were a waste of the court’s precious time.

Reacting to the developments, state Congress President Nana F. Patole said that the high court’s observations were “a slap on the face” of those who are creating hurdles in the election of the Speaker.

In a strong statement, he said the Governor must respect the court’s verdict and take immediate action on the Speaker election and the nomination of 12 MLCs.

“The BJP must understand the democratic process and stop rushing to the court all the time to prevent the good work of the MVA government. We want to conduct the Speaker’s election before the state Budget on March 11. We hope the Governor will take a decision on priority in this regard,” Patole urged.

Maharashtra

FDA conducts major raid on cosmetics store in Jogeshwari, seizes unlabeled toilet soap

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Mumbai, July 16: A team of Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Greater Mumbai Division conducted a major raid at M/s JK Soap Bazaar, 10/11, Qadir Ismail Estate, Near Momin Colony, Patel Estate Road, Jogeshwari (West), Mumbai – 400102. During the operation conducted on July 14, 2026, it was observed that unlabeled toilet soap was being stored and offered for sale in the establishment. The seized soap lacked statutory information like batch/lot number, date of manufacture, ‘first use’ date, manufacturing license number, and name and address of the manufacturer. Selling cosmetics without such mandatory labelling is a violation of the law. During this operation, toilet soap worth about Rs 10,93,692 was seized, and two samples were collected for analysis as part of the ongoing investigation. The accused in this case is Nabiullah and necessary legal action is being initiated against him. “The Food and Drug Administration gives top priority to the protection of the health of citizens. Making any cosmetic product available for sale in the market without labelling as per the law is a very serious matter. It becomes difficult to verify the source, quality and safety of such products. Therefore, strict legal action will be taken against the violating manufacturers, distributors and sellers.” This warning was given by Takaram Mandhe, Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, Maharashtra State.

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Maharashtra

AIMIM Govindi corporator’s husband Atiq Khan banished from city for a year, makes emotional appeal to public on social media and apologizes

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Mumbai: Maharashtra AIMIM leader and husband of a corporator from Govindpura, Atiq Khan, has been banned from the city for one year by the Mumbai Police. In an emotional message on social media, Atiq Khan said that he has been banned from Mumbai city and suburbs for one year, so he will be unable to do pending work or visit the area. If the public or students face educational difficulties due to his absence in the area for one year, he apologizes for it. The police had registered a case against Atiq Khan for violence and rioting, and accordingly, he has been banned, so a complete ban has been imposed on his entry into the area for one year. The ban on this ban will come into effect today. Therefore, Atiq Khan has made a very emotional video and apologized to the public on social media and has also expressed his passion for public service and said that he will continue to serve the public.

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Maharashtra

Major hurdle in completion of expansion project in Mumbai railway network, several projects are facing delays due to encroachment on railway lands, RTI reveals

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Mumbai: Encroachments on railway land are a major reason for delays in railway projects in Mumbai city. Due to delay in its acquisition, projects have been delayed and their estimates have also increased, this has been revealed in an RTI information filed by RTI activist Anil Gilgali. RTI has revealed that 1,574 encroachments have been identified for two major MRVC rail projects, occupying about 17,000 square meters of land. Information sought by RTI activist Anil Gilgali under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005 has revealed that a total of 1,574 encroachments were identified during the acquisition of land for two major rail projects of the Mumbai Rail Development Corporation (MRDC). Out of these, 998 encroachments have been removed so far, while encroachments were found on about 17,068 square meters of land. According to information provided by MRVC to RTI activist Anil Gilgali on July 14, 2026, this information relates to the Kalyan-Badlapur 3rd and 4th rail line projects and the Airoli-Kola elevated corridor project.

Kalyan-Badlapur 3rd and 4th rail line project
According to MRVC, 706 encroachments were identified during the acquisition of land for the 3rd and 4th railway lines of the Central Railway between Kalyan and Badlapur. These include hutments and other structures located on railway land and newly acquired land. Out of these, 620 encroachments have been removed, while encroachments were found on about 9668 square meters of land. MRVC also said that each encroachment occurred in different years, hence it is not possible to identify a specific year. The encroachments identified for the project are located between Kalyan and Badlapur railway stations.
Airoli – Kalwa Elevated Corridor Project.

During land acquisition for the Airoli – Kalwa Elevated Corridor Project, 868 encroachments were identified. These included constructions on railway land and newly acquired land. So far, 378 encroachments have been removed while about 7400 sq m of land was found to be occupied. These encroachments are located between Digha village and Kalwa station. The MRVC also clarified that all the encroachments occurred in different years.

Information on re-encroachments not available
The RTI application also asked in how many areas encroachments were re-established after the encroachments were removed. The MRVC replied that the relevant information was not available.
Anil Gilgali raised important questions.

RTI activist Anil Gilgali said that encroachments have become a serious challenge in railway projects in Mumbai. Encroachments are a major reason for project delays, cost overruns and additional burden on public funds, he said. Mere removal of encroachments is not enough. Railways and MRVC should ensure that no encroachments are created again in the removed areas. Regular monitoring, safeguards and accountability are essential to achieve this.

Gilgali also demanded that information on land acquisition, encroachments, rehabilitation and progress in removal of encroachments for all rail projects be made available on a public portal from time to time, to enhance transparency and provide real-time information to citizens.

He said that availability of land is very important for Mumbai’s rapidly developing rail network. If encroachments are not effectively controlled, many public transport projects in the future may be affected. Therefore, the government, railways and local administration should come together to find a permanent solution.

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