Mumbai: A case has been registered at Chembur Police Station against a former municipal corporator for allegedly contesting elections using a fake caste certificate and defrauding the government and the public.

The complaint was filed by Chitra Anant Salunke (63), an advocate and resident of Chembur, who runs a legal firm along with her son. The accused has been identified as Ramesh Suresh Kamble, a former corporator from Ward No. 192 (Borla North–Deonar Abattoir).

According to the complaint, Kamble contested the 2002 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections from a seat reserved for Scheduled Castes by allegedly submitting a caste certificate claiming he belonged to the Hindu Mahar community. He won the election with 4,721 votes and served as corporator.

However, the runner-up candidate, Rajendra Vaman Waghmare, later raised objections and filed a complaint with the Divisional Caste Scrutiny Committee at Konkan Bhavan, Navi Mumbai. Following an inquiry, the committee, on November 11, 2005, concluded that Kamble was not from a Scheduled Caste but was a Christian by birth, based on documentary evidence including school records and a baptism certificate from a church in Matunga.

The committee declared his caste certificate, issued by the Sub-Divisional Officer, Mulund, in 1998, as invalid. Kamble challenged the decision in multiple courts, including the Small Causes Court, the Bombay High Court, and later the Supreme Court. However, all courts upheld the findings of the caste scrutiny committee.

Following the disqualification, Waghmare was declared elected and served as corporator for the remaining term. The complaint further alleges that Kamble knowingly used forged documents to obtain the caste certificate and subsequently contested and held public office from February 2002 to November 23, 2006, thereby gaining undue benefits.

Based on the complaint, police have registered a case against Kamble under IPC Sections 193, 199, 406, 420, 465, 466, 467, 468, 469, 470, and 471 for forgery, cheating, and criminal breach of trust. Further investigation is underway.

Mumbai: The body of a 55-year-old man was found between Jogeshwari and Ram Mandir railway tracks on Thursday at around 3 pm. Initially, the police suspected it to be a case of suicide. However, the deceased’s brother filed a complaint against the man’s wife, alleging abetment of suicide. Following the complaint, the Borivali Railway Police registered a case of abetment of suicide on Thursday.

The police identified the deceased as Nitin Chavan, an artist who made statues and lived in Nalasopara. His wife, Madhura Chavan, 47, works with an NGO. The couple reportedly argued frequently over household matters. The police said that initially they suspected it to be a case of suicide.

However, the deceased’s brother approached the GRP (Government Railway Police) and claimed that his brother had shared a video with him before his death. In the video, the deceased reportedly said that he was fed up with his wife and intended to commit suicide.

Passengers informed the police that a man had died after coming under a local train, though it has not yet been confirmed which train was involved. The police have registered a case and are investigating the matter.

Mumbai: The city woke up to clear blue skies and pleasant weather on Saturday, with improved air quality offering residents relief from recent heat, smog and rising pollution levels.

Today’s Weather Update

According to the India Meteorological Department, the early morning temperature was recorded at 26°C, with conditions expected to remain mild through the day. Temperatures are likely to range between 23°C and 33°C. While no heatwave warning has been issued, rising humidity levels in the afternoon may cause some discomfort.

Air quality across Mumbai showed major improvement, with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 31 in the early hours, placing it in the ‘good’ category. This follows a trend of cleaner air over recent days, with AQI levels dropping as low as 21 in some instances.

Officials attribute the improvement largely to action taken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which recently cracked down on construction sites violating pollution control norms. The drive targeted both private and public projects, focusing on curbing dust emissions, a key contributor to deteriorating air quality.

Despite the overall gains, pollution levels remained uneven across the city. Kanjurmarg emerged as a major hotspot, recording an AQI of 395 in the ‘severe’ category. Mumbai Central followed with an AQI of 143, classified as ‘poor’. Other areas such as Sion (AQI 73) and Cotton Green (AQI 63) fell within the ‘moderate’ range, indicating persistent localised concerns.

SoBo Sees Cleanest Air

Meanwhile, several parts of South Mumbai recorded exceptionally clean air. Walkeshwar reported an AQI of just 5, while Navy Nagar and Worli recorded AQI levels of 7 each. Gamdevi and Bandra also saw ‘good’ air quality, with AQI levels of 15.

As per standard AQI classifications, values between 0–50 are considered ‘good’, 51–100 ‘moderate’, 101–200 ‘poor’, 201–300 ‘unhealthy’ and above 300 ‘severe’.