Mumbai, Sep 2: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday directed that detailed information regarding employees working in supernumerary posts across various government departments, along with the details of the corresponding original vacant posts, must be submitted within two weeks. Necessary action must be taken to complete the recruitment process for vacant posts in tribal areas within six months.

CM Fadnavis was speaking at a meeting regarding vacant positions in tribal (PESA) areas.

He stated that, as per the orders of the Supreme Court, the concerned employees were relieved from their original posts. However, since many of these employees had served for a long time, they were accommodated in supernumerary posts on humanitarian grounds.

Fadnavis directed all District Collectors to urgently collect accurate data on the number of employees currently working in supernumerary posts within each department, the number of such employees who have retired, and the corresponding original vacant positions. All this information will be submitted to the Chief Secretary’s office, after which the respective departments must put in place the necessary mechanisms for recruiting to the vacant positions, he clarified.

Directing all concerned departments to complete the recruitment preparations within the stipulated timeframe, CM Fadnavis emphasised that the deadline in this regard will not be extended under any circumstances. The verification process for appointments under the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category was also discussed during the meeting.

According to a review conducted in 2015, some employees had not submitted their Caste Validity Certificates. Subsequently, during a verification carried out in 2019, the issue of approximately 6,860 employees without validity certificates came to light, out of which 1,346 posts have been filled.

The CM’s directives come against the backdrop of widespread protests and hunger strikes by tribal students across major centres including Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Yavatmal, and Nanded. The agitation, led by tribal youth and student organisations, intensified following a tragic incident in Gadchiroli district where three tribal girls died from a snakebite at a government residential school (Ashram Shala).

The 17-day hunger strike was suspended on August 29, 2026, after CM Fadnavis and Tribal Development Minister Dr Ashok Uike held direct discussions with student delegations in Mumbai and accepted their major demands with a time-bound implementation schedule.

The protesters were demanding the immediate identification and filling of around 12,500 vacant posts reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) across state departments and fast-tracking recruitment under the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA). Recruitment for nine out of 17 cadres was completed, and the government agreed to launch recruitment for the remaining 6–8 cadres immediately.

They also demanded placing ST candidates in the second position in the government point-roster system as per prior government resolutions.

Mumbai, Sep 2: Maharashtra’s Senior Nationalist Congress Party minister Chhagan Bhujbal, along with Shiv Sena ministers Sanjay Rathod and Gulabrao Patil, on Tuesday walked out of the meeting of the cabinet sub-committee on OBC issues, boycotting the gathering, claiming lack of funds and administrative bias against the community.

The walkout led to the committee chairman and BJP minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule reprimanding officials, stating that the Finance Department must immediately disburse the budget-approved funds for OBCs to the OBC Department. He noted that although there is a legal obligation to provide these funds, officials have engaged in dilatory tactics.

Sources said Bhujbal pointed out that the meeting of the OBC sub-committee was being held after three months and that too after the call for protest given by OBC organisations against the ‘pressure tactics’ used by Maratha social activist Manoj Jarange-Patil.

“He alleged administrative bias against OBCs,” said an official present at the meeting. Bhujbal also questioned why funds were not being released for schemes meant for OBCs, while other communities are being given funds on demand.

The three ministers walked out of the meeting raising these issues. Among others, the meeting was attended by Ministers Atul Save and Ganesh Naik, along with senior officials from various departments.

After the meeting, Minister Bawankule stated that around 13 to 14 important issues were discussed in detail during the OBC Cabinet Sub-Committee meeting. These included providing land for hostels for OBC students in the state, disbursing pending scholarship amounts, and including 36 OBC castes in the central list. Additionally, an important decision was taken to resolve the funding issue of OBC corporations by December and to send some subjects to the State Planning Committee (SPC). Stating that the government’s role is to ensure justice for all communities within the OBCs, he said the government is committed to the welfare schemes for OBC students in the state and the empowerment of corporations, and will not let any corporation or scheme face a shortage of funds.

‘Mahajyoti’ and all other corporations have been granted Rs 300 crore each. However, Mahajyoti has demanded Rs 1,000 crore. Upon learning that courses were shut down due to a lack of funds, instructions were given to present the rationale for why the Rs 300-crore fund is falling short before the sub-committee, and subsequently bring that proposal before the cabinet.

Instructions were issued to immediately forward pending bills amounting to Rs 125 crore to the Finance Department. Mahajyoti has a pending liability of Rs 126 crore for PhD fellowships, and all of these funds will be made available by December.

Mumbai, Sep 2: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at 12 locations across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi-NCR and Gujarat under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as part of its ongoing investigation into the Cyprus-based illegal online betting platform Parimatch.

The searches were carried out at five locations in Maharashtra, two in Rajasthan, one in Gujarat and four locations across Delhi-NCR in connection with the case involving Parimatch and others.

According to the investigation agency, the premises searched included those linked to payment companies allegedly involved in converting betting proceeds into cash through Cash Management System (CMS) agents.

The searches also covered Chartered Accountants (CAs) and Company Secretaries who allegedly facilitated the transfer of proceeds out of the country through illegal remittances and sham Overseas Direct Investment (ODI) transactions.

Payment gateways that allegedly handled the collection and disbursement of funds, including pay-ins and payouts on behalf of Parimatch, were also among the premises covered during Wednesday’s searches.

The latest action comes months after the ED’s Mumbai Zonal Office conducted searches at 17 locations across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi, Gujarat, Daman and Uttar Pradesh in May this year in connection with the same investigation.

During the raids, the agency seized movable assets worth around Rs 1.56 crore, including cash amounting to nearly Rs 1.2 crore. The ED also froze approximately Rs 3.8 crore lying in various bank accounts. Several incriminating documents and digital devices were recovered during the search operations.

The ED initiated the investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the Cyber Police Station, Mumbai, against Parimatch.com for allegedly duping users through online betting operations.

According to investigators, the platform lured investors with promises of high returns and is suspected to have generated more than Rs 3,000 crore in a year.

The investigation revealed that Parimatch and its associates allegedly operated through a complex network of mule accounts, payment intermediaries, and financial inclusion channels to collect, layer and transfer user funds.

Investigators also found that the platform advertised through leading quick-commerce applications and circulated promotional material along with grocery deliveries to attract and onboard new users. These advertisements were strategically displayed during app usage and order placements.

The ED said it has so far frozen assets worth Rs 112 crore in the case. Further investigation is underway.