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Maharashtra

Maha ATS lawyers to track Malegaon-2008 blast case hearing

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Alarmed by witnesses turning hostile in the Malegaon-2008 blasts case, the Maharashtra government lawyers shall now remain in the Special NIA Court where the trial is being conducted on a daily basis, Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil said here on Saturday.

He told the media persons that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had taken over the case (from the state ATS), but the state government is perturbed at the manner in which several critical witnesses have become hostile in the Special Court.

The significant development came two days after the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ally Congress had raised the issue and drawn the attention of the Home Ministry and the ATS.

Congress state Working President M. Arif Naseem Khan had submitted a memorandum to the Additional Director-General of Police and ATS chief Vineet Agrawal urging necessary measures to monitor the case closely.

“We are thankful to Home Minister Walse-Patil for accepting our demand for a team to keep a track on the court proceedings. The presence of the ATS lawyers will help in a free and fair trial,” Khan said in a statement.

An ex-minister, Khan reiterated that the NIA is allegedly ‘weakening’ the Malegaon-2008 case and not pursuing it with ‘honesty and sincerity’.

In his memorandum to the ATS Chief Agrawal, Khan contended that the witnesses turning hostile are invoking the names of Bharatiya Janata Party-RSS leaders to “malign the Maharashtra government and ATS” for gaining political mileage in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh elections.

The September 29, 2008 (Malegaon 2008) bomb blast was allegedly engineered in this minority-dominated Nashik town by Hindu fundamentalists, killing 6 and injuring over 100 others, during the Ramadan month when Muslims were breaking their fast.

The Maharashtra Police and then the ATS probed the case till 2011 when it was taken over by the NIA, and the trial is going on daily before the Special NIA Court in Mumbai.

Of the 223 witnesses examined, 16 have turned hostile, claiming that the ATS tortured them to give evidence against the accused, said Khan, urging the need for the presence of the ATS in the court to protect the image of the Maharashtra government.

Among the accused in the sensational Malegaon 2008 case are BJP MP Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, Swami Amritananda Dev Teerth, Dayanand Pandey, Lt. Col. Prasad S. Purohit, and others.

Khan said that the ATS was being sought to be tarnished as an ‘anti-Hindu’ agency with the witnesses, allegedly influenced by the accused, deliberately naming BJP-RSS people ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls for political gains.

“The NIA is not prosecuting all the accused with honesty and sincerity. Out of 223 witnesses who deposed so far, 16 important ones have turned hostile and over a 100 more are still left to be examined. These witnesses are crucial and need to be protected. The NIA has not challenged any orders passed in favour of the accused which shows their intentions clearly,” Khan said.

Some of the witnesses in Malegaon 2008 case even went beyond their recorded statement mentioning names like Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, but the NIA’s Special Public Prosecutor took no objection, and another witness claimed he was tortured and threatened by the ATS to take names of Yogi and 4 RSS leaders.

Maharashtra

‘Gujarat Portion Of Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project To Be Completed By December 2027’: Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

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New Delhi: The Gujarat portion of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) Project between Vapi and Sabarmati is planned to be completed by December 2027, while the entire 508 km project is expected to be completed by December 2029, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Parliament on Wednesday.

However, the bullet train project is a very complex and technology-intensive and the exact timelines for its completion can only be reasonably ascertained after the completion of all associated works of civil structures, track, electrical, signalling & telecommunication and supply of trainsets, the minister added.

MAHSR is under execution with technical and financial assistance from the Japanese government. The project is passing through Gujarat, Maharashtra, and the Union Territory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli with 12 stations planned at Mumbai, Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Billimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, and Sabarmati, the minister said.

A cumulative financial expenditure of Rs 78,839 crore has been incurred on the project till June 30, 2025, he said.

The total estimated cost of the MAHSR project is approximately Rs 1,08,000 crore, out of which Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is funding 81 per cent of the project cost which works out to Rs 88,000 crore while the balance 19 per cent cost amounting to Rs 20,000 crore will be funded through equity contribution from Ministry of Railways (50 per cent) and Maharashtra and Gujarat state governments (25 per cent each).

The delay in land acquisition in Maharashtra impacted the project till 2021. However, currently, the entire land (1389.5 hectares) for the MAHSR project has been acquired. The Final Location Survey and Geotechnical investigation has also been completed, and alignment finalised. All Statutory Clearances relating to wildlife, Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and Forest clearance have been obtained, and all the civil contracts of the project have been awarded, Vaishnaw said.

Till now, 392 km of pier construction, 329 km of girder casting and 308 km of girder launching have been completed. The work on the undersea tunnel (21 km approx.) has also started. In order to expand the high-speed rail (HSR) network in India beyond the MAHSR corridor and to meet the growing passenger demand between major cities of commercial and tourist importance, Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) are being prepared by the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), he added.

HSR projects are highly capital-intensive, and any decision to take up a new project is based on many factors such as technical feasibility, financial & economic viability, traffic demand and availability of funds & financing options. The commercial operation of the MAHSR project involves an affordable fare structure for the services, taking into account the socio-economic conditions of the clientele for optimum patronage of the HSR sectors, the minister added.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Airport Makes It To The Top 10 Airports In The World: Report

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Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has once again made India proud by securing a spot among the world’s top 10 international airports, as ranked by New York-based Travel + Leisure magazine in its World’s Best Awards 2025.

Recognised under the category of Readers’ 10 Favourite International Airports of 2025, CSMIA is the only Indian airport to feature on this prestigious list for the third consecutive year, earning an impressive reader score of 84.23.

The recognition highlights CSMIA’s dedication to creating a tech-enabled, future-ready and passenger-first airport ecosystem. Passengers lauded the airport for its world-class hospitality, efficient services, vibrant retail and F&B offerings, and overall seamless travel experience.

Spread across 1,900 acres, CSMIA is currently the world’s busiest single-runway airport and India’s second busiest by passenger traffic. The airport handles nearly 1,000 flights daily, offering connectivity to 54 international and 67 domestic destinations, operated by over 50 international and 7 domestic airlines. In FY 2024-25, the airport saw a footfall of over 55 million travellers.

Over the past year, CSMIA has introduced several passenger-focused innovations, such as:

DigiYatra and FTI-TTP integration for paperless, biometric-based boarding

A new Airport Operations Control Centre (AOCC) for real-time operational efficiency

68 e-gates, self-check-in kiosks, and a digital parking payment system

In line with its Digital First vision, these upgrades aim to reduce wait times, enhance security checks, and simplify overall passenger movement. Meanwhile, the airport has also expanded its culinary and shopping offerings, blending local and global flavours to cater to diverse traveller preferences.

Notably, CSMIA is the first airport in India and the third globally to receive Level 5 ACI Accreditation – the highest global standard for airport service quality and customer experience.

With a sharp focus on sustainability, digitisation, and customer satisfaction, CSMIA continues to set benchmarks for airport excellence, solidifying Mumbai’s place on the global aviation map.

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Crime

Maharashtra: 31-Year-Old Govt Officer Accuses Husband Of Installing Spy Cameras In Bedroom, Dowry Harassment; Case Filed

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Pune: A Maharashtra government officer has alleged her husband secretly installed spy cameras in their bedroom to record her private moments, and subjected her to mental and physical harassment by demanding Rs 1.5 lakh dowry, police said.

About The Case

The 31-year-old woman alleged her husband, also a government employee, had installed cameras in the bathroom, too, the police said on Tuesday.

Based on the woman’s complaint, the police have registered a case against her husband, mother-in-law, three sisters-in-law and husbands of two sisters-in-law under sections 85 (cruelty by a husband or his relatives towards a woman), 115 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt) and other relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, they said.

The woman, a Class-2 officer in a state government department, was harassed physically and mentally by her husband and his family members, the police said, citing the complaint.

“The woman has alleged she was subjected to mental and physical harassment by her husband and his relatives, who pressured her to get Rs 1.5 lakh from her parental home to pay installments of car. When she refused to bring the money, she was beaten up,” an official from Ambegaon police station said.

The woman also alleged her husband installed spy cameras in their bedroom to record her private moments and threatened to make them viral if she did not fulfil his demand, the official said.

A probe was on into the complaint, the police added.

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