Mumbai: An FIR was filed against three hawkers after a video of them offering namaz at Malad railway station went viral online, the railway police said.

The RPF registered a case under Section 147 of the Railway Act for trespass, while the GRP filed another under BNS Section 168 following the station master’s complaint. After the video went viral, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya had also demanded action.

Slamming the viral video, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya had said that an FIR will be filed regarding all this. While speaking to news agency Media, “Openly, at Malad railway station in Mumbai, on top of the station platform, a small mandap-like structure has been made and namaz has started being offered there… An FIR will be filed regarding all this.”

Mumbai: Nearly four decades after a knife attack case was registered in Sakinaka, a sessions court has acquitted a 58-year-old Mumbai resident who had been accused of being part of the group involved in the assault. The court cited the absence of convincing evidence while clearing the accused.

Additional Sessions Judge Amit A. Laulkar acquitted Nasir Ibrahim Dadan of charges of attempt to murder and causing grievous hurt. The case had remained pending for nearly 37 years, during which several key witnesses either passed away or could not be traced.

The incident occurred on September 30, 1987, when a group of accused persons allegedly attacked Manor Naidu with a knife in Sakinaka. The group was also accused of assaulting two others, identified as Sayyed Amir and Shankar Tayde, leaving them seriously injured. Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) the following day and subsequently filed a chargesheet in 1988.

Despite this, the trial began only decades later. During the long pendency of the case, two of the accused died, while another remained absconding for several years before eventually being arrested. Charges in the matter were framed only in August 2025, and the trial commenced in February 2026.

In its judgment delivered on Friday, the court observed that the prosecution’s case had weakened significantly because it failed to produce crucial witnesses. During the trial, only one witness, police constable Amit Chowdhary, was examined, and his testimony did not support the prosecution’s version.

The court noted that Chowdhary’s evidence was largely based on hearsay. It emphasised that in a case involving allegations of attempted murder, the testimony of the injured victims and the complainant was essential, but the prosecution failed to secure their presence before the court.

The judge further pointed out that other important evidence had not been proved during the trial. Medical reports and forensic material were not formally exhibited, and the investigating officer was also not examined.

In view of these shortcomings, the court held that the prosecution had failed to establish the charges beyond reasonable doubt.

“Material ingredients of offence posed against the accused are not proved beyond all probable doubts… no offence can be legally sustained without any credible evidence against the accused.”

The court subsequently acquitted Dadan and cancelled his bail bonds. It also disposed of the case against the absconding accused, noting that there was “not much evidence” to justify continuing the proceedings.

Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader and MLA Manoj Jamsutkar, while commenting on the budget in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, termed it a contractors’ budget and said that the way major projects have been included in the budget raises doubts that this is a budget for contractors instead of the general public. Doubts also persist over the loan waiver for farmers. Although a loan waiver of Rs 2 lakh has been announced, its implementation is still in doubt. Will the schemes implemented by the state government for farmers benefit them or not? He said that minorities have been completely ignored in the budget. No new schemes have been introduced for them. There is no mention of the problems of farmers in Nandurbar in the budget. He said that a major budget has been approved in rapidly developing Maharashtra. No special attention has been paid to other public issues including health, therefore, special attention needs to be paid to it and Jamsutkar has also demanded that minorities be given a share in the budget.