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Maharashtra

Samajwadi Party MLA challenges Maharashtra govt order tracking inter-community marriages

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A Samajwadi Party MLA has filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court challenging the Maharashtra government’s order setting up a Family Coordination Committee (FCC) to monitor inter-faith and inter-caste marriages in the state, here on Friday.

MLA Rais K. Shaikh has said that the Government Resolution (GR) to the effect is discriminatory against a particular religion and violates Article 14 (Right to Equality) and Article 15 (Right to Life which includes Right to Privacy) and Article 25 (Right to Freedom of Religion) and other articles as enshrined in the Constitution.

The GR of December 13, 2022 came in the wake of the grisly killing of a Palghar girl, Shraddha Walkar in Delhi, allegedly by her inter-faith boyfriend, Shaikh said in the plea filed through lawyer Jeet Gandhi.

“That the assumption that adult women who choose and consent to marry someone from another faith need to be ‘saved’ is misplaced and goes against the spirit of the Constitution,” Shaikh said in his plea.

He claimed that it is the government’s attempt to discourage and/ or prohibit interfaith marriages and is a precursor to the laws related to purported ‘love jihad’ marriages that have been stayed in numerous states in the country.

The government’s FCC is ostensibly intended to provide a platform to ‘counsel, communicate and resolve’ differences between such couples and their estranged families.

Shaikh said that the FCC can intervene at the behest of any person which is a breach of the couple’s privacy, especially when two consenting adults are married to each other.

He pointed out that the discourse around marriage in India fails to place adult individuals at the centre with the family, campaigning vigilante groups and societal forces playing the role to control the lives and determine the future of the young people who have chosen their own partner.

The plea argued that the GR seeks to create a regressive and false narrative that “it is only in inter-faith or inter-caste marriages that a girl is at risk from her partner”.

Besides, Shaikh said that the GR discriminates against a particular religion and encourages a divide among people instead of harmony, co-existence, assimilation and peace.

The FCC is authorised to seek information of both registered and unregistered marriages, which the petition warns could violate several rights of couples who have eloped to marry.

He contended that the GR is ultra vires the Constitution as it was issued unilaterally, in extreme haste, under suspicious circumstances without following due procedures, particularly since distressed women have recourse to other laws like Indian Penal Code and Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act.

Shaikh said that the GR doesn’t cover those who plan to wed under personal laws and/or in their own religion, and sought that it should be scrapped, and the petition is likely to come up for hearing in due course.

It may be recalled that earlier, the state government’s move had been flayed on various counts, including that it could result in targetting of people belonging to a particular minority.

Maharashtra

Drain cleaning work continues on a war scale in the western suburbs, Additional Municipal Commissioner Dr. Vipin Sharma visits

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Mumbai: As part of the review of works before the monsoon, the work of desilting major and minor drains has been started in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Additional Municipal Commissioner (Western Suburbs) Dr. Vipin Sharma today (April 15, 2026) inspected the drain cleaning works in H East Division, H West Division, K North and K South Divisions.

Sharma personally visited major drains like Mogra Nallah, Vakola Nallah, Krishna Nagar Nallah, Andheri Bhuvari Marg, SNDT Nallah as well as Bazaar Nallah, Guruare Nallah, Apex Nallah in Bandra and reviewed the work of desilting the drains. He also gave necessary instructions. The floating garbage and waste in the drains should be removed immediately. The drain cleaning work should be ensured to be 100% completed by May 31, 2026 in any case. Sharma directed the municipal corporation officers to coordinate with the local public representatives and inform them about the cleaning of drains from time to time. Local Corporator and Market and Garden Committee Chairperson Hetal Gala, Corporator Chintamani Navati, Corporator Raja Rahbar Khan, Corporator Ritesh Roy, Corporator Rohini Kamble, Corporator Anjali Sawant, Assistant Commissioner Dinesh Pallavad, Assistant Commissioner Mahesh Patil, Assistant Commissioner Nitin Shukla, Assistant Commissioner Mridula Ande along with concerned officers were present.

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Maharashtra

Corporator Lakshmi Bhatia’s wallet was stolen during a meeting of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Standing Committee; ₹20,000 in cash was taken—raising questions about security?

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A theft incident is being claimed in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Standing Committee. It has been alleged that Rs 20,000 in cash was stolen from the purse of Shiv Sena Uddhav Thackeray’s party corporator Lakshmi Bhatia. There has been a stir after the incident came to light. The Standing Committee meeting was held today. Bhatia also attended it and kept her purse in the Standing Committee hall. She left her purse there and went to have food. But after the pleasure of burning incense, when she looked at the purse, the purse chain was open. When she checked the purse, she found that Rs 20,000 had been stolen from it. She informed her fellow municipal corporators about this. But since there was no CCTV at the place where the incident took place, it is difficult to verify the incident. The police have been informed about the alleged theft. The MS department and the security department have also been informed about the incident. Along with this, the mayor, the opposition party and the members of the standing committee have been informed about the incident. After this incident, Lakshmi Bhatia suspected that the purse had been tampered with, she also brought the matter to the attention of other fellow corporators. At that time, Lakshmi Bhatia saw that the money had been stolen from the purse. This is the first incident of theft in the committee hall. What action will the police take in this matter now? It remains to be seen. Lakshmi Bhatia has given her reaction to this incident.
The standing committee is considered the treasury of the municipal corporation, if this is happening in this place, what can we say about security? Lakshmi Bhatia raised an angry question. Meanwhile, MNS group chief Yashwant Kalidar also criticized the municipality over this incident and said, “If the security situation in the hall itself is like this, what will happen to the security of ordinary Mumbaikars?” he said. Due to this incident, the issue of security arrangements in the municipal building has come to the fore once again and the demand for accountability is gaining momentum.
“Today there was a meeting of our standing committee, after the meeting we all went for lunch, at that time my purse was there, some staff were present inside, someone opened my purse and took out Rs 20,000 from my purse, regarding this we met the women of the MS department, we told them the whole incident, so we told them that there are no CCTV cameras there, but there are no CCTV cameras there. The matter came there, we have lodged a complaint with them,” said Lakshmi Bhatia. I met the mayor and everyone else, I told the mayor and the standing committee chairman about this matter, I do not suspect anyone but if the corporators are not safe in the municipal corporation, then what will happen to the rest? All the corporators always go for lunch in five to ten minutes, how right is it to open the purses of women corporators? “Only the cash was stolen, the rest of the charger and other items were kept outside.” Corporator Lakshmi Bhatia said, “I have a fellow corporator who is with me in the standing committee, he has seen how those things were lying. He has also seen in what condition the wallet was when I left and how it was when I arrived. If the wallets of corporators are not safe in the municipal corporation, then what will happen to the general public?”

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Maharashtra

Goregaon NESCO concert turns into drug party, investigation launched after death of two youths

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Mumbai: The Excise Department had given full permission for the NESCO concert and alcohol was allowed to be served here till 1:30 am, but under the guise of the same, drugs were also used here. This sensational revelation has come after the death of two youths at the NESCO party and concert. The concert held at NESCO in Gurgaon took the form of a drug party. This party has created a stir in the state. This matter came to light after the death of two youths. Now a new summary has been given in this matter. Sensational facts have come to light in this matter. The state Excise Department had given full permission for the event. There was formal permission to drink alcohol at the NESCO concert and the company also had a license to serve alcohol till 1:30 am. However, it has come to light that along with alcohol, drugs were also used in large quantities in this event that continued till late at night. The police are being accused of being a spectator in this matter.

Auri’s party attendance

Another surprising revelation is that the famous influential person Auri attended the party. Auri has been accused of drug use before and has also been questioned by the Mumbai Police in another crime. Now a video has emerged in which Auri has been found involved in the Gurgaon Nesco concert case. In it, he is clearly seen dancing. Two young men and a woman died due to drug overdose. The deceased overdosed after taking more than one (two or more) pills of the drug. However, doctors believe that the surviving girl may have survived because she vomited due to drug overdose. Both had taken one capsule each before going to the party and the second capsule was delivered to Nesco.

Statements of 15 to 20 people recorded
The Vanrai police have so far recorded the statements of 15 to 20 people in this case. The statements of the people involved in the party and the related persons have been recorded. Currently, the police are trying to record the statements of other young men and women who participated.

After the concert ended, drunken youths were seen rioting in the Nesco parking lot at midnight. A video showing drunken youths climbing on cars in the parking lot and rioting has also gone viral. Locals are expressing strong anger at the behavior of these drunken youths. The police are currently focusing on recording the statements of other youths present at the party. Investigations are underway to find out who supplied the drugs, what kind of drugs were used and who is behind it. The presence of the influential Ori has given a new twist to the case. The police have not yet announced any official arrests but the investigation is said to be going on at a fast pace.

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