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Maharashtra awaits SC nod for bullock cart race

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The Maharashtra government is awaiting a nod from the Supreme Court for an almost 400-year-old tradition of bullock cart race that was banned by the Bombay High Court.

Called ‘Shankarpaat’, the bullock cart race is a traditional attraction at the fairs in villages across Maharashtra.

It starts soon after the Ganesh festival and continues right through the remaining Kharif, the entire rabi season and ends around April, ahead of summer.

It is not just popular because of the crowds it attracts, but it gives a push to the local economy wherever the events are held coinciding with fairs. This is a popular sport among the farming community.

Similar bullock cart races are held in Karnataka too, especially the areas that are adjoining Maharashtra.

There have been obvious comparisons with Jallikattu, another traditional sport from Tamil Nadu related to bullocks.

The Nagaraja case had resulted in the Supreme Court banning all such bull-related sports. While in Jallikattu, the men are directly in contact with the bullock, pouncing on the running bull, holding it by the hump and using other means to tame it, in Shankarpaat or the bullock cart race, a pair of bulls or a single bull will race along with the cart with the farmer holding the reins and goading the animal.

In April 2017, the state government passed an act that regularised the sport of Shankarpaat.

A PIL was filed in the Bombay High Court, which put a ban on the bullock cart races.

After the ban, the Maharashtra government approached the Supreme Court, which referred the matter to a five-judge bench.

This year, possibly as an antidote to the lockdown induced lull, there have been multiple attempts in Maharashtra where local farmers have resorted to organising such bullock cart races.

On Sunday, Maharashtra Animal Husbandry Minister Sunil Kedar accompanied by the state’s Animal Husbandry Commissioner Shailesh Kende met Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi and the Maharashtra government’s counsels on the issue.

Patil told IANS: “We are hoping that the Supreme Court will be hearing our case on Tuesday.”

Kedar was supposed to attend the hearing, which was originally expected on Monday, but rushed back to Mumbai for a meeting.

“This is a topic very close to the hearts of hundreds and thousands of farmers in Maharashtra. It also impacts the rural economy,” Kedar said before leaving for Maharashtra.

Bharatiya Bailgada Sanghatana representative Ramkrishna Takalkar, who also accompanied the government delegation, said: “We farmers look after our bullocks just like our family members. There is no torture or cruelty involved with the animal during the bullock cart races, it is a misinformation campaign by animal lovers. The bullocks are fed regularly. What would we get by torturing the animal?”

Takalkar focussed on the economic aspects of the bullock cart races in Maharashtra.

“If there are no race events at the local village fairs, the farmers have valid question to ask: why should we continue to have these bulls?”

He had an even more pertinent question: “On the one hand, you allow horse races and on the other, you ban bullock cart races? Why the partiality?”

Maharashtra

Mumbai: Cleanliness of Narelwadi graveyard since Shab-e-Barat, restoration of closed pillars in the graveyard, cleaning of the graveyard by Corporator Waqar Khan’s team

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Mumbai: Ahead of Shab-e-Barat, the process of cleaning the graveyard is underway. South Mumbai Ward No. 211 Corporator Waqar Khan met the trustees of Narelwadi graveyard recently. During this meeting, it was revealed by the trustees that the six high-mast lights installed in the graveyard had been switched off for the last eight months, due to which severe difficulties were being faced at night.

Taking the issue seriously, Waqar Khan spoke to the concerned officers of the BMC and demanded an immediate solution to the problem. Initially, the officers told that a fund of about Rs 24 lakh was required for this work, which is not available at the moment and it has to be approved.

Later, Waqar Khan maintained constant contact with senior officers and ward officers, as a result of which all the high-mast lights were reactivated within just two days.

During the visit to the graveyard, it was also observed that there is a need for serious cleaning. So within two to three days, under the leadership of Waqar Khan, about 40 to 50 locals of Madanpur Hanagpada personally took up the task of cleaning the graveyard without any political motive. In two to three hours, the area around about 50 graves was cleaned.

Taking forward this spirit, it was decided that a major cleaning drive would be launched on Sunday, February 1, in which 100 to 150 local, non-political people would participate.

This cleaning drive would continue from 11 am to 3 pm, with the aim of making this final resting place of Muslims clean, tidy and dignified. This drive is being carried out purely as a public service and religious and social responsibility, which does not involve any political motive.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Court Bars Filmmaker Abhinav Kashyap & Others From Making Statements Against Salman Khan, Family

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Mumbai: The city civil court on Friday barred filmmaker Abhinav Kashyap and others from making any comments against Salman Khan and his family on any platform, in any form, while granting interim relief to the actor in a defamation suit filed against the filmmaker and others.

Khan had filed a defamation suit against Kashyap, Komal Mehru, Khushnoo Hazare, Ashok Kumar / John Doe, and various social media platforms for allegedly making defamatory statements against him and his family. While issuing restraining orders, the court observed that freedom of speech does not mean one can use abusive or threatening language against any individual.

Khan had approached the court following allegedly “scandalous, false, and grossly defamatory” statements made by Kashyap against him and his family members in various video interviews aired on the “Bollywood Thikana” channel, owned by Hazare. In those interviews and videos, Kashyap is alleged to have used offensive language and accused the family of running a cartel to destroy careers.

There are allegedly 26 such video interviews and podcasts released between September and December 2025, which are at the centre of the controversy. In the suit filed through advocate Pradeep Gandhy, Khan sought a permanent injunction and Rs9 crore in damages for the comments made by Kashyap and others against him and his family.

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Maharashtra

Crackdown on illegal street vendors in Andheri, Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s ‘K-Waste’ department takes action, citizens are relieved

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Mumbai: Around 200 unauthorised hawkers and additional structures on footpaths in Ram Ganesh Gadkari Marg (Arla Marg) area of ​​Andheri (West) in Mumbai were evicted by the Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s ‘K-West’ department yesterday (January 29, 2026). The operation, as per the instructions of Municipal Corporation Commissioner and Administrator Bhushan Gagrani, was conducted under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner (Zone-4) Bhagya Shri Kapse, and Assistant Commissioner (K-West Division) Chakrapani Ale. Unauthorised additional structures were found on footpaths connecting Swami Vivekananda Marg and Gulmohar Marg in Andheri (West) and on Ram Ganesh Gadkari Marg (Arla Marg) adjacent to the entrance of Dr. No. Cooper Hospital. It was also observed that unauthorised hawkers have set up shops in this area. It was creating obstacles for ambulances bringing patients to Cooper Hospital in case of emergency and for pedestrians to walk on the footpaths.

In this context, an eviction drive was launched by the ‘K-West’ administrative department of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation. Under this, around 200 unauthorized hawkers and unauthorized additional structures established on the footpaths in this area were evicted.

The eviction was carried out with the help of 04 encroachment removal vehicles, 03 JCBs and other equipment. During this operation, an adequate police force including 100 officers and employees of the Municipal Corporation were deployed. Local representatives and citizens are expressing satisfaction over this action. The Municipal Corporation administration has made it clear that regular evictions against unauthorized structures will continue in the future.

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