Maharashtra
Maharashtra: Bombay HC says bullet train project of ‘national importance’, junks Godrej plea
Mumbai: Declaring that the upcoming Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project is of ‘national importance’, the Bombay High Court on Thursday dismissed a plea of Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co. challenging the acquisition of its land in Vikhroli.
The verdict by a division bench of Justices R.D. Dhanuka and Justice M.M. Sathaye said: “The project is of national importance and public interest… No interference is required. No illegality found in the compensation.”
The judgement signalling a green flag comes as a breather for the mega-project on the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Mumbai on Friday.
Justices Dhanuka and Sathaye also said that it is the paramount collective interest that would prevail and not private interest “Project would be first of its kind. Petition is dismissed”.
When Godrej group’s counsel, Senior Advocate Navroz Seervai sought a stay on the order to enable them appeal in the Supreme Court, the high court refused to entertain the plea.
Opposing, the state’s Advocate-General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni told the court that the land acquisition for the project was completed except for the stretch owned by Godrej group, and pleaded that the company’s plea should be dismissed.
Additional Solicitor-General Anil Singh argued that the entire land acquisition in Gujarat was complete and the (project) work had started, while in Maharashtra, 3 per cent of the acquisition was remaining to be done.
He contended that the Godrej petition was delaying the project and led to cost escalations, and if the compensation amount was a concern, then a higher payout could be considered, but the project could not be made to suffer more.
For the past four years since August 2019, the government and the Godrej group have been squabbling over the acquisition of the company’s land for what is billed as Modi’s pet project coming up with Japanese collaboration.
Slated to cost around Rs 1.60 Lakh-Crore, the bullet train project will be 508 kms long, including 21 kms running underground and one of the entry points to the subterranean tunnel will fall on the land owned by Godrej in Vikhroli which was taken over by the government.
After the acquisition of around 9.69 acres of its land, Godrej group had challenged the compensation of Rs. 264 crore awarded by the Deputy Collector in Sep. 2022, claiming it was a fraction of the original offer of Rs 572 crore, and how there were multiple and patent illegalities in the entire process.
The company had also challenged the August 2019 notification under the Right To Fair Compensation and Transparency In Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 and the constitutional validity of certain sections, which has been upheld by the high court.
Maharashtra
Special NIA Court Allows Activist Gautam Navlakha To Visit Ailing Sister
The special NIA court on Thursday permitted activist Gautam Navlakha, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, to travel to Delhi for two months to be with his ailing elder sister.
Navlakha had approached the court for modification of the bail order granted last year, which restricted his movement to city limits.
The prosecution opposed the plea, apprehending that he may influence witnesses or skip the trial.
The court ruled out these possibilities and allowed the plea but with several conditions. Navlakha has been asked to furnish details of his mobile phone number on which video call facility is available, furnish his travel details, and deposit his passport in the court before leaving the city.
Maharashtra
Party Rebels Contesting Against MVA Candidates To Face Six-Year Suspension: Congress Leader Ramesh Chennithala
Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Thursday said all the party rebels contesting against the official candidates of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) have been suspended for six years.
In a press conference, Chennithala stated that district units have been directed to compile a list of rebels still in the race for the November 20 Maharashtra assembly polls and issue notices to them.
“There will be no friendly contests. All rebels running against the MVA’s official candidates have been suspended,” said Chennithala, the All India Congress Committee in-charge of Maharashtra.
In some constituencies, despite official candidates from both Mahayuti and MVA, candidates from allied parties have been fielded. In other areas, friendly contests are happening. Several leaders have filed nomination papers after rebelling.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra Elections 2024: Devendra Fadnavis Refers To Sharad Pawar As ‘Owner Of Fake Narrative Factory’; Slams Opposition Over Claims About Industries Leaving State
Mumbai: In a scathing attack on Sharad Pawar, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis referred to the NCP leader as the “owner of a fake narrative factory” during an election rally in Pimpri-Chinchwad. Fadnavis accused Pawar and opposition leaders of spreading false information about industries leaving Maharashtra for Gujarat, attempting to tarnish the state’s image. He made it clear that Maharashtra remains the top choice for investment, with 52% of the country’s foreign investment flowing into the state.
Addressing a rally in support of Mahayuti candidate Shankar Jagtap, Fadnavis emphasized that Maharashtra is strong industrially and that the information being spread by the opposition is misleading. He stated, “Our government has made Maharashtra an ideal destination for investment.” According to Fadnavis, reports suggesting a shift in the state’s industrial landscape were false and intended solely to mislead the public.
Fadnavis Targets Supriya Sule
Fadnavis also targeted NCP MP Supriya Sule, calling her the “manager of the fake narrative factory.” He accused Sule of spreading incorrect information about IT companies leaving Hinjewadi, a major IT hub in Pune. Fadnavis stressed that both Maharashtra’s industrial and IT sectors are strong, and any challenges faced were the result of the difficulties encountered during the tenure of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. He labeled Sule’s statements as incorrect and harmful to the state’s progress.
Fadnavis also responded to criticism of Uddhav Thackeray’s “Ladki Behin Yojana” . He said that Thackeray’s approach, focused on opposition for the sake of it, was disconnected from the needs of ordinary people. Fadnavis clarified that the scheme would provide financial aid and educational opportunities to thousands of girls across Maharashtra.
Concluding his speech, Fadnavis reassured the audience about job creation under the BJP government. He announced an ambitious goal of generating employment opportunities for 10 lakh youths and promised to rejuvenate Maharashtra’s economic stability. He urged voters to be cautious of the “fake narratives” being spread by the opposition and to trust in the state’s economic progress.
Throughout the rally, Fadnavis highlighted BJP’s transparency and development-oriented policies, portraying the opposition’s tactics as a strategy to promote “fake narratives” and undermine the state’s growth.
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