Maharashtra
Poll for 367 local bodies in Maharashtra sans OBC reservation, contempt if orders breached: SC
The Supreme Court on Thursday pulled up the Maharashtra State Election Commission (SEC) for re-scheduling the poll for 367 local bodies to grant OBC reservation, and also cautioned its chief and other officials of contempt of court, if its orders are breached.
A bench, headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar, said the poll schedule was already notified when it allowed OBC reservation and the polls for those bodies must be held without the OBC reservation.
It said the SEC cannot interfere with the election, which has already been notified and only the dates can be re-aligned.
The bench, also comprising Justices Abhay S. Oka and J.B. Pardiwala, did not appreciate that despite clarifying the issue several times, the SEC had taken a decision to re-schedule the poll. The bench made it clear that the SEC and the officials concerned would be liable for contempt of court for breaching its order.
“This is not acceptable. You (SEC) are trying to misread our order for your convenience and maybe under dictation of someone… Do you want us to issue contempt notice?….”
The bench said the election for 367 local bodies were to be notified according to the May order, and this position had been re-stated in multiple orders. The top court was informed that as per SEC affidavit, the election was deferred for two municipalities.
It said the SEC cannot interfere with the election that has already been notified, and directed that SEC cannot re-notify the election programme to these 367 local bodies.
On July 20, the Supreme Court accepted the recommendations of the Banthia commission to apply 27 per cent OBC reservations in local body elections in Maharashtra, and directed that election for local bodies in the state be notified in the next two weeks.
In December last year, the top court had directed that reservation for OBCs in local bodies will not be permitted unless they fulfil the triple test, and until the triple test is fulfilled, the OBC seats would be re-notified as general category seats.
The Supreme Court, in its order in March last year, while reading down the OBC reservation in local bodies, asked the Maharashtra government to comply with three conditions – to set up a dedicated commission for collecting empirical data on the OBC population, specify the proportion of reservation, and ensuring cumulative share of reserved seats doesn’t breach 50 per cent of total seats.
Maharashtra
Mumbai: Husband arrested for killing wife over excess salt in biryani

crime
Mumbai: A sensational case of wife murder has occurred in Mumbai. A man brutally murdered his wife in the Beganwadi area of Mumbai. Surprisingly, the motive behind this bloody altercation is being reported as simply “too much salt in the biryani.” Police acted promptly and arrested the murderous husband, Manzar Imam Hussain.
A Story of Old Enmity and Violence
The family of the deceased, Nazia Parveen, told police that this was not just a one-night stand. Nazia and Manzar had a love marriage two years ago, in October 2023, but soon after their marriage, Manzar’s behavior changed. He would often assault Nazia over trivial matters. About three months ago, Manzar reached the peak of his brutality, beating Nazia so severely that she broke a tooth. Daily domestic quarrels ultimately escalated into a tragic murder. Death from Salt in Biryani
According to police, on the night of the incident, December 20th, Nazia had cooked biryani at home. When Manzar sat down to eat, they began arguing about the biryani being too salty. The argument escalated to the point where Manzar became enraged and hit Nazia’s head against the wall. Nazia died on the spot from severe head injuries and excessive bleeding.
Accused in Police Custody
Upon learning of the incident, Shivaji Nagar police arrived at the scene, took possession of the body, and registered a murder case against the accused husband under the BNS section. Police arrested Manzar Imam Hussain, who was trying to escape. Police are currently interrogating the accused to piece together all aspects of this heinous crime.
Maharashtra
Kirit Somaiya and Nitesh Rane are only spreading hatred in the name of Hindu-Muslim relations, and creating suspicion is their agenda: Abu Asim Azmi

ABU ASIM AZMI
Mumbai: The BJP is engaging in politics of chaos and hatred in the name of Hindus and Muslims for votes. What wrong have Muslims done that Kirit Somaiya and Nitesh Rane are constantly spewing venom against them? They talk about brotherhood, but they have no constructive thinking or strategy to fight corruption. That’s why Hindus and Muslims continue to do the same thing day and night to benefit themselves and create divisions in society. By inciting hatred between Hindus and Muslims, they are creating an atmosphere of hatred in society. This serious allegation was made by Abu Asim Azmi, leader of the Maharashtra Samajwadi Party and member of the Workers’ Assembly. He said that when Khan became the mayor of Mumbai, where were the Muslims, but the BJP has started making it an issue and is trying to scare Hindus in the name of Muslims. Muslims say that someone from Mumbai should be elected mayor so that the city can develop, but an attempt has been made to create divisions in the name of the mayor. Based on a survey conducted a year ago, it is being said that Mumbai’s demographics are changing and the number of Bangladeshi infiltrators has increased. Azmi stated that the government needs to focus on where illegal Bangladeshis are coming from, what the government is doing, and why this infiltration is occurring. However, the way Muslims are being harassed in the name of Bangladeshis is wrong. He stated that radical Muslim leaders are advising Hindus to increase their population. Regarding Navneet Rane’s comment, Abu Asim Azmi said, “Who stopped her from having forty children? But she shouldn’t create suspicion in the name of Hindus and Muslims. This is very harmful. There is a political agenda to create hatred against Muslims. Ahead of the BMC elections, Soumya and Nitesh Rane have become agitated and are spewing venom against Muslims. This should be banned.”
Maharashtra
Mumbai Weather Update For Dec 24, 2025: City Wakes Up To Clear Skies & Winter Chill; Air Quality Improves Majorly, AQI In Moderate Range At 86

WETHER
Mumbai: Mumbai woke up to a cool and relatively crisp Wednesday morning, offering residents a short-lived taste of winter comfort. Clear skies, gentle winds and a noticeable dip in humidity provided early morning relief, making conditions pleasant for commuters, morning walkers and outdoor workers. However, despite the favourable weather, air quality continued to remain a concern.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had forecast a bright and comfortable day for the financial capital, with temperatures expected to hover between 17°C and 32°C. While the weather lived up to expectations, air quality emerged as the key issue shaping public health discussions through the day.
According to data from air quality monitoring platform AQI.in, Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 86 in the early hours, placing it in the ‘moderate’ category. This marked a significant improvement compared to the poor and unhealthy air recorded over the past few weeks.
The improvement comes amid heightened scrutiny of pollution control measures following recent observations by the Bombay High Court, which reprimanded the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) over repeated violations of pollution norms at infrastructure project sites.
Despite the overall improvement, pollution sources continue to persist across the city. Construction dust and fine particulate matter remain the primary contributors to Mumbai’s pollution burden. Several large-scale government infrastructure projects, including metro rail corridors, flyovers, coastal road extensions and extensive road-widening works, are underway simultaneously. These, along with aggressive private real estate development, have led to sustained dust emissions. Vehicular pollution during peak traffic hours further compounds the problem, particularly at busy junctions and arterial roads.
Several areas still recorded worrying AQI levels. The Wadala Truck Terminal emerged as a pollution hotspot with an AQI of 183, falling in the ‘poor’ category. Chembur followed with an AQI of 123, while Colaba recorded 117, both also classified as poor. Deonar reported an AQI of 98, placing it at the higher end of the ‘moderate’ range. Malad, a densely populated residential and commercial area, recorded an AQI of 95.
Suburban regions showed comparatively better air quality, though conditions remained far from ideal. Govandi recorded an AQI of 52, while Malad West stood at 62, both in the moderate category. Kandivali East reported 67, Vile Parle West 68 and Jogeshwari 70, indicating that pollution continues to be widespread across the city.
For perspective, AQI values between 0–50 are considered good, 51–100 moderate, 101–150 poor, 151–200 unhealthy and above 200 hazardous.
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