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Process to declare Ram Setu a national heritage monument underway: Centre to SC

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The Central government on Thursday told the Supreme Court it was examining the issue in connection with declaring the Ram Setu a national heritage monument.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, asked petitioner Subramanian Swamy, a former Rajya Sabha member, to make a representation to the government, if he wants.

The bench, also comprising Justice P.S. Narasimha and J.B. Pardiwala, said that Justice Narasimha will not be part of the proceedings as he had earlier appeared in the matter as counsel.

The top court noted that Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that the process is currently underway in the Ministry of Culture. “He states that the petitioner may submit additional communication if he may so wish,” the bench said.

The bench asked the Centre to take a decision on the issue and granted Swamy the liberty to move before it again if he is not satisfied.

The two-judge bench, comprising the Chief Justice and Justice Pardiwala, disposed of Swamy’s interim application on the issue.

During the hearing, Swamy said he does not want to meet anybody. “We are in the same party; it was there in our manifesto… I will come again,” he said. Mehta said the process is underway.

Swamy informed the top court that in 2019, the then Culture Minister Prahlad Patel had called a meeting on the issue and recommended declaring the Ram Setu as a national heritage monument.

He submitted: “The issue is that they have to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’.”

On January 12, the Centre had told the Supreme Court it would file its response by February first week on a plea filed by Swamy seeking a direction to declare the Ram Setu a national heritage monument.

Swamy’s plea sought a direction to the Central government and the National Monument Authority to declare ‘Ram Setu’ as a monument of national importance. Ram Setu, which is also known as Adam’s Bridge, is a chain of limestone shoals between Pamban Island or Rameswaram Island, off the south-eastern coast of Tamil Nadu, and Mannar Island, off the north-western coast of Sri Lanka.

Swamy contended that the government has already accepted the existence of ‘Ram Setu’ and in 2017, a meeting was also convened to examine his demand, but things have not moved after that.

In April last year, a bench headed by the then Chief Justice S.A. Bobde had directed that the plea seeking National Heritage Status for Ram Setu be listed before the next Chief Justice of India.

The UPA government, in 2007, had proposed a Sethusamudram project. Under this project an 83-km-long deep-water channel was to be made by extensive dredging and removal of the limestone shoals, to link Mannar with Palk Strait. Swamy moved against this decision in the court and the government resorted to another plan to link Mannar with Palk Strait.

Maharashtra

7 accused arrested in cyber fraud case of over Rs 1 crore in Mumbai

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Mumbai: The Cyber ​​Police Station has claimed to have solved the mystery of a cyber crime in which the complainant was threatened with digital arrest on WhatsApp from April 2 to April 18, 2026, and was involved in a money laundering case and was defrauded of Rs 16.74 crore online by sending fake electronic documents. During the technical investigation, the police have arrested 7 accused, identified as Sanjay Hiralal, 57, who used to generate OTPs, the 32-year-old female accused used to hide the fraudulent money, Rishi Ramchandra Meena, 38, who used to transfer the fraudulent money to bank accounts, Naushad Ali, 31, who digitally arrested the complainant and the victim and worked in this gang digitally, Muhammad Khalid Hafeezuddin Saif, 27, a digital expert, Jogesh Mehta, 43, and Zubair Hussain, 27, who helped them deposit the fraudulent money in their accounts. 613 mobile phones, 2 laptops, 5 digital sign devices were recovered from the possession of the accused. SIM cards of several companies, 10 cheque books, 2 passbooks and 2 ATM cards have been seized. DCP Bajrang Bansode told the press conference that there is no such thing as digital arrest and in such a situation, do not keep in touch on unknown social media accounts. If someone threatens digital arrest, do not believe them.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai: Mystery of Santa Cruz robbery solved during police operation, person who deposited stolen money in bank also identified, one arrested

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Mumbai: After solving the mystery of a robbery in Santa Cruz area, the police have claimed to have seized cash and other jewelries worth Rs 76.36 lakh. According to the details, between June 20 and June 27, an unknown thief broke into a house on Juhu Tara Road in Santa Cruz area for the purpose of robbery and escaped with the jewelries, cash and gold biscuits in the cupboard. In this case, the police arrested the accused Chandan Kamlesh Mukhiya, 26, a resident of Darbhanga, during technical investigation. His transit remand was obtained and he was produced in Mumbai. In this case, another absconding accused is being sought. During the investigation, it has been revealed that with the help of the absconding accused, the thief had asked his acquaintance Kailash Shah to buy land with the money and stolen property. Therefore, Kailash Shah collected the cash and transferred it to a bank account. During the investigation, the police found that Kailash Shah had collected the stolen money of Rs 46.31 lakh, therefore, the police have issued a notice to him. 200 grams of gold jewelry and Rolex watches have also been recovered. This operation was carried out under the guidance of Mumbai Additional Commissioner Abhinav Deshmukh and DCP Mohit Kumar Garg, while Santa Cruz Senior Police Inspector Dattatreya Masvekar played an important role in solving the mystery of this theft.

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Maharashtra

Demand for immediate installation of bus shelters in Govindi Shivaji Nagar, Abu Asim Azmi submits memorandum to BEST administration, concerned about safety of passengers

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Residents of Mumbai, Shivaji Nagar and Govind (M-East Ward) areas face significant hardship during summer, monsoon and inclement weather due to lack of bus shelters and seating arrangements at major bus stops. In this backdrop, Samajwadi Party Maharashtra state president and MLA Abu Asim Azmi has submitted a memorandum to BEST Committee Chairperson Trishna Vishwasrao, demanding immediate installation of robust bus shelters and seating facilities at these locations. Shivaji Nagar depot is one of the largest depots in Mumbai, serving a large number of passengers daily. Around 132 BEST buses ply in this area, and thousands of school and college students, women, senior citizens, pregnant women, disabled persons and workers rely on BEST services. In his memorandum, Azmi said that essential passenger amenities are missing at many of the six major bus stops in the area. Specifically, these include stops at Shivaji Nagar Depot Junction, Konkan Bank and Sai Mandir, Jafri School, 10 Feet Road No. 2, Sant Nirankari Nagar, and New Bus Depot. Due to the lack of safe waiting areas, passengers are forced to stand on the roadside and wait for buses. The memorandum highlights that this situation is especially bad for women, senior citizens, pregnant women and disabled passengers. Azmi also observed that local residents have been continuously following up with the depot manager and the civic department since 2023. Although the approval for the bus stop on Road No. 2 was reportedly given in 2024, the work has not yet started, leading to dissatisfaction among residents. Demand for joint inspection of all bus stops Azmi has demanded that the issue be taken seriously and a joint inspection of all bus stops be conducted immediately with representatives of local citizens. He further stressed that the work should be completed by installing robust bus shelters and seating arrangements at the relevant locations using BEST’s infrastructure fund.

BEST serves as a vital lifeline for the daily commute of millions of Mumbaikars, and it is essential that commuters have access to safe and dignified travel facilities. Hence, Azmi has demanded immediate action on the matter.

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