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Maharashtra

Maha Cabinet clears MRVC capital expansion, approves specialised courts across state

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Mumbai, July 28: The Maharashtra Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Tuesday approved a substantial increase in the authorised and paid-up share capital of the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC), alongside a series of judicial and governance reforms, including the establishment of specialised courts across the state.

The Cabinet approved raising MRVC’s authorised share capital from Rs 25 crore to Rs 500 crore and increasing its paid-up share capital from Rs 25 crore to Rs 225 crore. The move is aimed at strengthening the corporation’s financial capacity to execute large-scale urban transport projects in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

MRVC’s equity structure currently comprises a 51 per cent stake held by the Ministry of Railways and a 49 per cent stake held by the Maharashtra government. Incorporated in 1999 with a paid-up capital of Rs 25 crore, the corporation’s capital base has become inadequate in view of the scale and complexity of present-day rail infrastructure projects.

MRVC is responsible for executing large-scale, transformative transit projects under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP). MUTP-III & MUTP-3A /3B include line extensions, quadruplication, station upgrades, and Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) signaling systems. Further, projects such as the 3rd and 4th lines between Pune and Lonavala are also proposed. The total ongoing portfolio handled by MRVC is valued at nearly Rs 64,644 crore.

Higher capital enables MRVC to negotiate better terms for multilateral loans (Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, World Bank) and manage working capital requirements seamlessly without bottlenecking project timelines.

Further, the Cabinet granted official approval to create the post of Managing Director at the Centre for Artificial Intelligence and AgriTech Innovation under the MahaAgri-AI Policy.

The Cabinet also approved the Law and Judiciary Department’s proposals for establishment of multiple specialised and regional courts across the state. It approved setting up a dedicated Special Court in Pune to try cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

It also cleared the establishment of a District and Additional Sessions Court at Karjat (Ahilyanagar district), along with the sanctioning of required judicial and administrative posts and creation of a Civil Court (Junior Division) and Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court at Kurduwadi, Taluka Madha (Solapur district), along with sanctioned posts.

The Cabinet also cleared the establishment of Exclusive Special Courts in Ahilyanagar, Parbhani, Solapur, Nanded, and Yavatmal for the expedited hearing of cases filed under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (Amended Act, 2015).

Moreover, the Cabinet approved the promulgation of an ordinance to amend the Maharashtra Gram Panchayat Act, 1959 and the Maharashtra Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti Act, 1961. The amendment grants an extension of time for elected representatives holding reserved seats to submit their caste validity certificates issued by the Caste Scrutiny Committee.

The Cabinet also approved an amendment to Section 48(7) of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966. Under the revised provisions, illegal excavation and transportation of minor minerals will now attract a heavy fine equivalent to 10 times the royalty value.

Maharashtra

Kasturba Marg Police recover 100 stolen mobile phones, return them to their original owners

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Acting on complaints regarding stolen and lost mobile phones within the jurisdiction of the Kasturba Marg Police Station in Mumbai, police analyzed data from the CEIR portal and conducted technical investigations. By verifying device details, IMEI numbers, and user information, officers from the Kasturba Marg Police Station tracked down and recovered a total of 100 mobile phones from locations across Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra.

The total estimated value of the 100 recovered mobile phones is ₹2,270,658. Of these, 18 phones have already been returned to their respective owners/complainants, including: 1) Rajendra Puri, 2) Khush Saw, 3) Kripa Lodhiya, 4) Shreya Satam, 5) Atul Sathe, 6) Priyanka Mistri, 7) Banu Tarang, 8) Prem Gupta, 9) Adya Shaikh, 10) Shweta Shah, 11) Sandhya Pandit, 12) Deepak Sawdekar, 13) Saurabh Jhangar, 14) Ketan Shete, 15) Onkar Raut, 16) Jayalal Yadav, 17) Lakshmi Appa Kripagiri, and 18) Praveen Dubey. The process of returning the remaining phones to their owners is currently underway.

This operation was carried out under the supervision of the DCP (North, Zone 3), Mumbai, by the team at Kasturba Marg Police Station, led by Balasaheb Bunkar.

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Crime

CBI books Mumbai firm, officials in Rs 93.44 crore loan fraud case

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Mumbai, Oct 3: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches at multiple premises in Mumbai and registered a Rs 93.44 crore bank fraud case against officials of Hanjer Biotech Energies on the complaint of Punjab National Bank, an official said on Saturday.

The CBI conducted searches on Friday at multiple premises linked to the directors of Hanjer Biotech Energies in Mumbai, the CBI said in a statement.

The CBI registered the instant case on September 30, 2026, on the complaint of Punjab National Bank, SAM Branch, Mumbai, against Hanjer Biotech Energies, its directors and guarantors, unknown public servants and unknown private persons.

The accused were booked for offences of criminal conspiracy for cheating and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, resulting in alleged wrongful loss of approximately Rs 93.44 Crore to the bank.

It was alleged that the accused entered into a criminal conspiracy, obtained term loan of Rs 135 crore on the invoices of its related party and diverted/siphoned off the funds for other purposes for which it was not sanctioned, causing loss to the bank, the CBI said.

During the searches on Friday, incriminating bank documents and property documents relevant to the investigation were recovered and seized.

Investigation is continuing to ascertain the full extent of the conspiracy, identify the role of all involved persons, including public servants and private individuals, and trace the end-use of the loan funds, the CBI said.

In a separate case on Friday, the CBI arrested an Executive Engineer of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), Mumbai, his relative and three officials of a Mumbai-based real estate group, in a Rs 50 lakh bribery case related to the issuance of a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for a land parcel.

Vikrant Verma, Executive Engineer, CPWD Mumbai; Saurav Gupta, Verma’s relative based in Pune; and Arvind Semwal, Vice President, Baya Company, were among those named in the FIR by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday, an official said.

The arrested accused were produced before the Special CBI Judge in Mumbai on Friday, the official said in a statement.

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Maharashtra

Monsoon Withdraws Further from Maharashtra; Hot and Humid Weather Alert Issued for Konkan Region

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MUMBAI PRESS — The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced on Saturday, October 3, 2026, that the Southwest Monsoon has withdrawn from parts of Maharashtra, as well as the remaining regions of North India, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh.

The current withdrawal line of the Southwest Monsoon passes through Harnai, Baramati, Parbhani, and Brahmapuri in Maharashtra, extending northeastward through Raipur, Ranchi, and Supaul. Weather officials stated that conditions are favorable for further retreat from most parts of Marathwada, Vidarbha, and additional areas of Madhya Maharashtra over the next 2 to 3 days.

Hot and Humid Stretch for Coastal Maharashtra
Residents in the coastal belt should prepare for elevated discomfort over the weekend. The IMD has issued a hot and humid weather warning for Konkan & Goa prevailing from October 3 through October 5.
Following this dry and muggy stretch, mild weather activity is expected to return to the region. Isolated to scattered rainfall is forecast across Konkan & Goa and Madhya Maharashtra between October 6 and October 9.

Southern and Northeastern Forecast
While monsoon forces retreat from central and northern parts of India, southern states are bracing for heavy downpours. Isolated heavy rainfall is predicted over Kerala, Mahe, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal from October 4 to October 6, with South Interior Karnataka expected to receive heavy spells on October 5 and 6.

In the northeast, isolated heavy rainfall is expected to continue over Assam, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh through October 3.

Advisory for Fishermen
Due to lower-tropospheric cyclonic circulations over the Arabian Sea, the IMD has urged fishermen not to venture into the sea along and off the Kerala coast, Lakshadweep, Maldives, and the Comorin area on October 3. Farmers in heavy rainfall zones have also been advised to ensure proper field drainage and move harvested crops to covered storage to prevent crop damage.

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