Maharashtra
Mumbai Schools Survey 2022
The Free Press Journal’s Mumbai School Survey awards event at St Regis Hotel on December 12, 2022, was one glittering event attended by the intelligentsia of the school academic space. Principals, directors, teachers, and coordinators whose schools shone were awarded trophies to mark their dominance in various parameters, previously laid out by the Survey.
The Chief Guest for this gala function was Deepak Kesarkar, Cabinet Minister (Education Ministry), the Guest of Honour was Mr Keki Mistry, Vice-Chairman, and CEO of Housing Development Finance Corporation (HDFC), and L’invite d’honneur was Mr. Niranjan Hiranandani, Co-founder and Managing Director of the Hiranandani Group. Below are the awardees and their beaming faces only go to prove how dazzling this celebration was.
The Cabinet minister for Ministry for Education (and other portfolios) was the Chief Guest at the Mumbai Schools Awards 2022. Excited to be part of this elite group, the minister made several important announcements exclusive to the academicians and the newspaper. Among other announcements, the minister declared that skill education will now be imparted from Standard 6 onwards. Mr. Kesarkar handed over the awards to the schools mentioned below:
- Cathedral and John Connon School
- Garodia International Centre for Learning Mumbai
- Jankidevi Public School, Mumbai
- Mumbai Public School Hariyali Village CBSE School, Vikhroli
- Narayana eTechno School, Thane
- N.L. Dalmia High School
- St. Anne’s High School, Fort, Mumbai
- St. Xavier’s High School, Fort, Mumbai
- SVKM’s CNM School & N.D. Parekh Pre-primary School
- The Somaiya School
- Trinity International School
- Vagad Pace Global School
- VIBGYOR High, Airoli
- VIBGYOR High, Kharghar
- VIBGYOR High, Malad East
- Villa Theresa High School
Keki Mistry, the CEO and Vice Chairman of the Housing Development Finance Corporation was the Chief Guest and a happy one too. He declared that The National Education Policy (NEP) would be a game changer in reforming our education sector. “The policy encourages holistic development at all levels including pre-schools, schools, and higher education,” he affirmed before he gave away the below list of awards. Farzana Contractor, Editor and Publisher of UpperCrust, India’s popular food, wine and travel magazine and Dogs & More gave away the awards along with Mr Mistry:
- Aditya Birla World Academy
- Bai Avabai Petit Girls’ High School Bandra West, Mumbai
- Billabong High International School, Juhu
- Bombay Cambridge International School, Andheri East
- Bombay International School
- Bombay Scottish School, Mahim
- Bombay Scottish School, Powai
- DAV Public School, Thane
- Don Bosco High School, Matunga
- D Y Patil International School, Worli
- Gopi Birla Memorial School
- Lodha World School, LSG
- Oberoi International School
- R N Podar School
- Utpal Shanghvi Global School & PPS International Junior College
The L’invite d’honneur for that evening was Mr. Niranjan Hiranandani, Co-founder and Managing Director of the Hiranandani Group. Mr Hiranandani who is closely associated with the Education space was highly pleased with the way technology is shaping students’ lives. He also mentioned that receiving the Free Press Journal’s Whatsapp edition was possibly the most convenient way of keeping abreast with news happenings first thing in the morning. Mr Hinandani was delighted to give away awards to the schools listed below:
- Campion School
- Dhirubhai Ambani International School
- HVB GLOBAL ACADEMY
- Jamnabai Narsee School, Mumbai
- JBCN International School, Borivali
- Mahatma School of Academics and Sports
- Maneckji Cooper Education Trust School
- OES International School Vashi
- Pawar Public School, Bhandup
- Podar Jumbo Kids
- St.Stanislaus High School, Bandra (W)
- Smt. Sulochanadevi Singhania School ,Thane
Presenters Wang Yanhua, Deputy Consul General, China Consulate Mumbai, Joanna Irzyk, Wife of Polish Consul General in Mumbai and Ramesh Narayan, Director, Strategy of AFAA also gave awards to schools:
- Ascend International School
- Beacon High
- Bombay Cambridge International School,Andheri (West)
- Children’s Academy, Ashok Nagar
- Children’s Academy Malad
- D.G. Khetan International School, Malad
- Diamond Jubilee High School, ICSE, Mumbai
- Dr Pillai Global Academy, Borivali
- Dr. S. Radhakrishnan International School
- JBCN International School, Chembur
- JBCN International School, Parel
- Kashmirilal Mehra Uttari Bharat Sabha English Primary School, Bhandup West
- Meridian School
- Nahar International School, Mumbai
Another set of presenters Ryan Pereira, Regional Head, United States – India Educational Foundation (USIEF), Yogesh Dhingra, Founder and Director of CourseLeap Education and Consultant to various international schools and Deepali Naair, CMO, IBM gave away the awards to the schools mentioned below:
- OES International School, Andheri
- Orchids The International School, Borivali
- Orchids The International School, Dombivali
- Orchids The International School, Seawoods
- Orchids The International School, Thane
- Pawar Public School, Dombivali
- Pinnacle High International School
- Podar International School, Ambernath
- Podar International School, Powai
- Podar International School (Cambridge International), Kalyan
- Podar International School – Mira Road
- Podar International School Nerul
- Rbk Global School Bhayander
- Rustomjee Cambridge International School
- Shishuvan English Medium School
Maharashtra
Nirmal Nagar girl sexually abused by accused sentenced to 20 years in prison

Mumbai: The court has sentenced the accused to 20 years rigorous imprisonment in the case of sexual abuse of a 9-year-old girl in Hussain Tekri Khar in Shivalik Compound under the limits of Nirmal Nagar police station in Mumbai. On December 18, 2022, the victim was playing outside her house when the accused Munawar Ghanu Malik, 52, sexually assaulted her and hid at his friend’s house. The police arrested him. After the sexual assault of the girl, the girl started crying loudly outside her house, after which she told her parents that an indecent act had been done to her. The victim’s mother filed a complaint at Nirmal Nagar police station and the police arrested Munawar. The police followed the matter thoroughly in the sessions court and the accused was convicted. On the advice of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti and DCP Manish Kalwaniya, the police followed the case in the best possible manner and the accused was convicted.
Crime
Mumbai Crime: Oshiwara Police Arrest Habitual Thief, Recover Stolen Valuables Worth ₹1.26 Crore

Mumbai: The Oshiwara Police have arrested a habitual offender involved in a major housebreaking case and successfully recovered stolen property worth ₹1,26,10,450.
According to police officials, between 11:00 pm on December 29, 2025, and 7:30 am on December 30, 2025, an unidentified person gained entry through the bathroom window of a bungalow (No. 15, Magnum Tower, Bank Road, 2nd Cross Road, Lokhandwala, Andheri West). The accused broke into the complainant’s cupboard and stole a safe containing gold, diamond and silver ornaments along with cash altogether valued at approximately ₹1,37,20,000.
Based on the complaint, Oshiwara Police registered an FIR on December 30, 2025, under sections 331(4) and 305(A) of BNS. Following the registration of the case, the Senior Police Inspector, Crime Detection Officer and the police team visited the crime scene and conducted a detailed inspection.
Even without knowing the suspect’s residence, officers skillfully gathered intelligence. Sub-Inspector Vikas Kadam and his team laid a trap in the locality where the accused was suspected to be hiding and kept watch for two days. The suspect finally appeared, and on January 3, 2026, the team detained him for interrogation.
During questioning, the accused confessed that he had kept the stolen valuables at his residence and some with a jeweller. Acting promptly, the police recovered stolen diamond, gold and silver ornaments valued at ₹1,26,10,450.
Further investigation revealed that the arrested accused has a criminal history with 14 previous cases registered against him. Police officials also stated that more cases from Oshiwara Police Station and other police jurisdictions are likely to be detected during further interrogation.
Maharashtra
BJP and Congress Form Unlikely Alliance to Keep Shiv Sena Out of Power in Ambernath Council

Thane: In a surprising political development at the municipal level, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress have come together to form a governing alliance in the Ambernath Municipal Council, effectively preventing the Shiv Sena from taking control despite its strong performance in the elections.
The Shiv Sena emerged as the single largest party in the recently concluded Ambernath civic polls but failed to secure a clear majority in the council. Taking advantage of the fractured mandate, the BJP stitched together a post-poll alliance with the Congress and other smaller parties to cross the majority mark and form the ruling body.
The new coalition, formed under a development-focused banner, has claimed that its primary objective is to ensure stability, efficient administration, and accelerated civic development in Ambernath. Leaders from the alliance stated that local governance requires practical decision-making beyond traditional political rivalries.
As part of the power-sharing arrangement, the BJP secured the key leadership position in the municipal council, while coalition partners were accommodated in the governing structure. The move has reshaped the political equations in the region and drawn sharp reactions from the Shiv Sena, which accused its rivals of engaging in opportunistic politics.
Shiv Sena leaders expressed disappointment over the alliance, terming it a contradiction of ideological positions and a setback to the mandate of voters. They maintained that the party would play a strong role as the opposition and continue to raise civic issues.
Political observers note that such unexpected alliances are becoming increasingly common in urban local body elections, where numbers and local priorities often outweigh long-standing political alignments. The Ambernath development is being closely watched as it may influence future municipal strategies across Maharashtra.
The formation of this alliance highlights the evolving nature of grassroots politics and underscores how local power dynamics can diverge sharply from state-level and national political narratives.
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