Maharashtra
Maha ATS lawyers to track Malegaon-2008 blast case hearing
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.
Mumbai: The Mumbai Municipal Corporation administration has announced a bonus of Rs 31,000 to the officers and employees of Mumbai BMC Corporation for Diwali – 2025.
The decision to provide bonus grant to the officers / employees of the Municipal Corporation for Diwali 2025 was announced by the Municipal Commissioner and Administrator Bhushan Gagrani. The order, details and amount of ex-gratia grant are as follows. The officers / employees of the corporation are Rs 31,000 bonus
Private primary school teachers / non-teaching staff who received the grant of Rs 31,000. Municipal primary school and aided private primary school teaching Rs. 31,000. Secondary school teachers / non-teaching staff (aided/unaided): Rs. 31,000/
5. Secondary school teaching staff (aided/unaided): Rs. 31,000.Teacher School Lecturer/Non-Teaching Staff (Aided/Unaided): Rs. 31,000.Teacher School Teaching Staff (Full Time) (Aided/Unaided): Rs. 31,000Social Health Volunteer (CHV): Bhaubej Gift Rs. 14,000/-
9. Kindergarten Teacher/Helper – Bhaubej Gift Rs. 05,000/-
Maharashtra Chief Minister. Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister. Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister. Ajit Pawar has greeted the officers and employees of the Municipal Corporation on the occasion of Diwali.
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Maharashtra
Gadchiroli : After the surrender of commander Bhupati alias Sanu and 60 Maoists with weapons, the Naxalites got a shock, confidence in government was restored : Devendra Fadnavis
Mumbai: The end of Maoists in Maharashtra is near. In Gudchiroli, a prominent Maoist, Venugopal Malujo alias Bhupati alias Sonu, who was active in many places, has surrendered along with his associates. 60 Maoists have surrendered before the Gudchiroli police, which is a big success for the Maharashtra Police. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that the Naxalites have been eliminated from the state’s Gadchiroli area and many Maoists have surrendered and they have returned to the right path and normal life. Their faith in the Constitution of India and the administration has been restored. It is a great blessing that the Naxalites have been eliminated from the state. Soon, the 10 to 15 Maoists who are hiding in the forests will also surrender. He said that Bhupati had expressed his desire to surrender. The police were in touch with him and then he expressed his desire that he wanted to surrender to me. So I said that I am ready to go to the forest too. But Bhupati was brought here and today Bhupati has surrendered. This is a big success. With the efforts of the central and state governments, the Naxalites have now become unstable and weak, which is why many Naxalites have surrendered before.
Fadnavis has said that the red terror has ended, the surrender of Naxalites from the borders around Gudchiroli is certain, due to the crackdown on Maoists from Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and other borders, Maoists have either surrendered or repented from Naxalism to a large extent. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah’s dream of a Pakistan-India relationship with the Naxalites is being realized in shame. Bhupati was a Maoist who was the backbone and ideological ideology of the Maoists. His surrender will further strengthen the police operation. He said that it is the result of the hard work of all the senior officers including Maharashtra Police DGP Rashmi Shukla and the officers involved in the Naxal operation that the Maoists’ back has been broken today. Fadnavis said that there was a reward of Rs 6 crore on the Naxalites and now this Maoist has been brought back to the right path.
Maharashtra
Firing in Ghatkopar : Armed man enters Darshan Jewellers, creating sensation in the area, police are actively searching for the accused.
Mumbai: A shooting incident in Ghatkopar, Mumbai has created a sensation. A shooting incident was carried out here for robbery, after which the police reached the spot and conducted a panchanama. An armed man entered a shop in Ghatkopar Darshan Jewellers to commit a robbery. There, he put a knife to the throat of the complainant and fled. The police have started an investigation into the matter and have started searching for the unknown robbers. DCP Rakesh Ola said that an armed man had entered the shop and threatened the complainant by putting a knife to his throat. After the entry of armed unknown persons into Darshan Jewellers, a sensation spread in the area and questions have been raised about law and order. The shooting at 10:30 am has caused panic in the area. The police have formed teams in this matter and have started searching for the unknown robbers. So far, no one has been arrested in this case. At present, the police have refused to say anything more about this. DCP Rakesh Ola denied the shooting incident and said that the gunman at Darshan Jewellers had targeted the complainant and put a knife to his throat. The police are investigating the matter further.
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