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Mumbai: Hindu Activists Demand Swift Enforcement Of High Court’s Loudspeaker Order, Muslim Scholars Decry Targeting

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Mumbai: After Bombay High Court’s judgement stressing that public interest prevails over religious use of loudspeakers, all communities have welcomed the judgement. However, Muslim scholars and activists have argued that only the Muslim community will be targeted against through this order, whereas the judgement speaks for all the communities.

On Thursday, the Bombay High Court passed a judgement saying that use of loudspeakers is not an essential part of any religion. The High Court was hearing a petition filed by Jaago Nehru Nagar Residents Welfare Association and Shivsrushti Co-op. Housing Societies Association Ltd. alleging police inaction against noise pollution caused by loudspeakers installed on masjids in the area.

While the HC bench reminded the authorities that cumulative ambient noise levels must not exceed 55 decibels during the day and 45 decibels at night in residential areas, the court also noted that the police are bound to act on the complaints of noise pollution. The judgement brought two major changes in the existing procedures including the level of volume while using loudspeakers during the day and the responsibility of police to act against the religious pleas flouting the norms.

Advocate Kaushik Mhatre, who appeared for this matter, said, “According to Mahesh Bedekar vs The State of Maharashtra, the court has set a benchmark of sound levels to be below 55 decibels against the earlier practice of using the speakers on high volumes. It has also asked the police to take action against noise pollution instances under the Maharashtra Police Act.”

While the judgement has been welcomed by all communities upholding the convenience of human beings and the wrath caused by noise pollution, Muslim scholars and activists argued that it should not be turned.

Mufti Manzur Ziyaee, chairman of International Sufi Carvan, said, “Just like the entire planet, pollution is a major concern in India and everyone should contribute to curb it. Whether it is a religious, social or a personal event, the guidelines should be followed by all. There will be narratives targeting one particular community as the facilitator of this issue. Rather than religious perspective, both the communities should look at the issue as a national an environmental concern.”

Religious scholars said that apart from implementing the guidelines on religious places and events, they should also be implemented on social and personal events to win the fight against noise pollution.

Ashfaq Qazi, Mufti of Jumma Masjid at Kalbadevi, said, “Sharia does not say that we need to disturb someone through azaan. We support this order by the High Court as we also believe that nobody should be affected due to noise pollution. Azaan is held only for three to five minutes whereas there are events which use loudspeakers till late in the night. There should not be a dual policy and the rules should be same for all kind of events.”

Saleem Sarang, president of Muslim Welfare Association, suggested that only one mosque should use loudspeaker in the localities with multiple mosques as the objective of alerting people is being fulfilled by one mosque also. However, he alleged that Maharashtra’s member of legislative council Chitra Wagh has already given the judgement a communal angle through her social media post.

“Since the court’s judgement is for all the religions, it should be followed by everyone. However, the Muslim community is being specifically targeted by politicians like Wagh, who are portraying that the judgement is only for Muslims. She should not paint this issue with communal colours,” Sarang added.

Hindu organisations, on the other hand, alleged that the judgement is specifically meant for Muslim community which uses loudspeakers for religious purposes multiple times everyday, whereas the Hindus use it occasionally during festivals. They also demanded that the new guidelines should be implemented urgently.

Shriraj Nair, national spokesperson of the Vishva Hindu Parishad, said, “We support the High Court’s observation since loudspeakers being played five times a day is a big nuisance. Hindus use these loudspeakers for religious use only during festivals and does not harass people everyday. However, the law of the land is above every organisation and individual and should be followed by everyone irrespective of their religion.”

Sunil Ghanwat, national convenor of Mandir Mahasangh, said, “We welcome the Bombay High Court’s judgement. However such similar orders have been passed by multiple high courts and the supreme court as well but the government fails to implement them strictly. This is the reason mosques have been flouting these orders five times a day. We urge the government to implement the court’s judgement on immediate basis.”

Maharashtra

Winter rains expected in the state, alert issued in three districts

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Mumbai: The weather in the state is constantly changing. Now after the severe cold, the Indian Meteorological Department has given a major warning of direct rain. The state is currently facing favorable weather for rain.

The state has been experiencing cold and temperature in the last few days. The mercury is continuously falling. Pune is experiencing severe cold, Punekar is facing pink cold due to the drop in temperature. Not only Pune, many parts of the state are experiencing severe cold and cold winds are blowing from the north. North India is experiencing severe cold and the mercury is likely to fall further in the next few days. However, the cold has decreased slightly since yesterday. The mercury is falling in the districts of Mumbai, Nagpur, Akola, Solapur, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Beed, Nanded, Parbhani, Hingoli, Ahlia Nagar, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Jalgaon, Bhandara, Ayutthaya. The mercury in Dhule fell to 7.5 Celsius. The Indian Meteorological Department has now issued a big warning.

Although the cold is being felt at the moment, the cold has decreased in some areas compared to the last two or three days. Not only this, the weather is also cloudy. Currently, the environment is favorable for rain in the state. The Indian Meteorological Department has also issued a rain warning in some districts. Rain warnings have been issued in Kolhapur, Sangli and Sindhudurg districts.

The mercury is below 10 degrees in some places. On Friday, the lowest temperature in the state was recorded in Dhule. The temperature was recorded in Dhule at 7.5 degrees. The temperature was recorded in Parbhani at 8.9. The temperature was recorded in Nafad at 8 degrees Celsius. The mercury dropped to 11 degrees in Pune, Ahlia Nagar and Mahabaleshwar. Today, the weather is favorable for rain in some cities of the state. There will be light to moderate rain in Kolhapur, Sangli and Sindhudurg.

The mercury has dropped below 10 degrees in Pune. Due to which there is a heavy fog in the air. To avoid the cold, Ganpati Bappa is traditionally dressed in a woolen sweater and ear caps at Saras Bagh in Pune. This sweater is given to Ganpati Bappa with the pleasant feeling that Ganpati Bappa is also feeling the cold. Every winter, whenever the cold increases, Ganpati Bappa is given a sweater.

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Maharashtra

Disturbance at Kalyan Ideal College over offering Bajrang Dal prayers, students pressured to apologize with Jai Shri Ram slogan, tension remains under control

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Mumbai: Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal were in a frenzy over prayers at Ideal College in Kalyan, adjoining Mumbai. Its mischief increased so much that it forced the students to apologize. This extremist group intimidated the students and forced them to apologize in front of the statue of Shivaji Maharaj and the southern extremist was seen raising the slogan of Jai Shri Ram with hooliganism. This video is viral on social media, but so far the police has not taken any concrete action on this issue. Controversy arose over offering prayers at Ideal College in Kalyan area. The students apologized, while the college administration has promised action.

According to initial details, the controversy escalated after a video of some students of the pharmacy department of Ideal College offering prayers on the college campus went viral on social media. As soon as the news of this was received, workers of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal reached the college and lodged a protest with the administration. Meanwhile, the local police also reached the college after the commotion and reviewed the situation but no case has been registered in this matter.

According to the college administration, some students were offering prayers in an empty classroom for a few minutes. Someone shared the incident on social media. After the video went viral, some organizations protested and demanded action against the students involved.

The police reached the college and brought the situation under control. However, the college administration requested the police that since the matter is related to the academic campus, it should be resolved at the college level. Respecting the administration’s request, the police handled the situation peacefully.

The college administration then summoned the concerned students. The students admitted that they had offered prayers but they had no intention of inciting any controversy or inflaming religious sentiments. To avoid any misunderstanding, the students apologized to the administration and the staff present there.
The college administration said that discipline and rules are essential in educational institutions. Such religious activities are not in accordance with the rules of the institution and strict vigil will be maintained to ensure that no student repeats such incidents in future. He also assured that necessary action will be taken against the students involved.

The college campus is under complete control after the incident and the police have withdrawn from the spot after a short period of surveillance.

Currently, the police administration has handled the matter peacefully, while the college has also taken cognizance of the matter internally. However, no statement has been issued by anyone yet.

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Maharashtra

Charkop Firing Case: Four More Arrested In Attempt On Real Estate Agent Freddy D’Lima; Total Accused Now Five

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Mumbai: In the Charkop firing case where 42-year-old real estate agent and social worker Freddy D’Lima was targeted, the Mumbai Crime Branch arrested four more accused on Friday.

The arrested men have been identified as Rajesh Chauhan (42), resident of Kandivali; Subhash Mohite (44), resident of Virar; Mangesh Choudhary (40), resident of Pune; and Krishna Singh (25), resident of Thane.

The arrests were made by Unit 11, under the leadership of Unit 6’s PI Bharat Ghone, following the directive of DCP Vishal Thakur. All four were traced and detained from Kolhapur before being brought to Mumbai for interrogation.

With these arrests, the total number of accused in the case has reached five. On Thursday, Charkop Police had arrested 35-year-old Munna Sheikh, alias Guddu, a bar and restaurant manager, for his alleged involvement in planning the attack.

During investigation, police found that Guddu had a financial dispute with D’Lima. Officers suspect that Guddu may have hired shooters to eliminate D’Lima.

An officer revealed that both Guddu and D’Lima live in the same housing society but were involved in redevelopment deals with different builders. The project was reportedly valued at around ₹4 crore, which may have caused prolonged tension between the two.

It is suspected that this dispute may have driven Guddu to plan the firing attack, although police have not officially confirmed this motive. Guddu has been remanded to police custody till November 27. The Charkop Police continue to probe the case.

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