New Delhi, Jan 23: The Delhi High Court on Friday granted the Lokpal of India a final extension of two months to decide on granting sanction to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to file a charge sheet against Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra in connection with the alleged cash-for-query row.

A Bench of Justices Anil Kshetarpal and Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar allowed the application moved by the Lokpal seeking additional time, clarifying that no further extension would be granted to the anti-corruption body.

“The period of disposal is extended by two months, while observing that no further request for extension of time shall be entertained,” the Justice Kshetarpal-led Bench ordered.

Remarking that any further delay in deciding the issue would not be acceptable, it stressed that the Lokpal must strictly follow the stipulated timeline.

The present order came on a plea filed by the Lokpal after it failed to take a fresh decision within the earlier time frame fixed by the Delhi High Court.

In an order passed on December 19, 2025, the Justice Kshetarpal-led Bench set aside the Lokpal’s sanction allowing the CBI to file a charge sheet against Moitra, holding that the anti-corruption watchdog had misinterpreted provisions of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013.

Allowing Moitra’s plea against the sanction order, the Delhi High Court accepted her contention that the Lokpal had failed to properly consider the statutory requirement of examining the comments and material submitted by the public servant before granting sanction. It had directed the Lokpal to reconsider the issue afresh within one month.

However, as the Lokpal did not arrive at a decision within the prescribed period, the anti-corruption body approached the Delhi High Court seeking an extension of time.

The case arose from allegations levelled by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey, who accused Moitra of accepting cash and luxury gifts from Dubai-based businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for raising questions in the Parliament.

Mumbai: Parts of Mumbai will face a 10 percent water cut from January 27 to February 7, 2026, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation announced on Friday, January 23. The civic body said the reduction in supply is due to annual maintenance work on the pneumatic gate system at Pise in neighbouring Thane district. According to PTI, the maintenance is necessary to ensure the smooth functioning of the water distribution system.

The maintenance work is expected to disrupt water supply across a large part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, affecting most civic wards in the island city and eastern suburbs, officials said. Additionally, several areas under the Thane and Bhiwandi municipal corporations that receive their water supply from the BMC are also likely to face interruptions.

Furthermore, the civic body has urged residents in the affected areas to use water judiciously and avoid wastage during the maintenance period.

The BMC has also announced a scheduled water pipeline relocation and repair work in Bhandup West and Mulund West on January 27, 2026. The work is expected to take 24 hours, during which water supply to Bhandup, Mulund and parts of Thane city will remain suspended.

The BMC’s Hydraulic Engineering Department has scheduled the relocation and maintenance work to reconfigure key water infrastructure in the eastern suburbs. Under the project, 12 existing water connections linked to the 2,400 mm Vaitarna main pipeline at Mulund West will be shifted and integrated with the larger 2,750 mm Upper Vaitarna main pipeline. In addition, the civic body will carry out protective measures, including the installation of iron covers on sections of the 2,400 mm Vaitarna pipeline in the Khindipada area of Bhandup West, to strengthen the system and ensure operational safety.

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) wants to increase the rent paid to the residents of Bombay Development Directorate (BDD) Chawls for alternate accommodation. A proposal has been sent to the state government seeking a hike of Rs5,000 (from Rs25,000 to Rs30,000).

MHADA has demolished the 100-year-old British-era BDD Chawls, and construction of modern residential buildings is underway in Worli, Naigaon NM Joshi Marg. Under this mega redevelopment project, around 15,000 homes are being built. The residents have been given options of either alternate accommodation or rent for accommodation of their own choice.

Many residents opted to move elsewhere by accepting the rental allowance. However, there has been no increase in the rent for the past two years, even though landlords have been raising house rents every year. Chawl residents had therefore appealed for a hike from MHADA. In Worli, the first sets of keys to newly constructed apartments by MHADA have already been handed over.

As more buildings near completion, remaining tenants are eagerly waiting to move into modern, spacious homes that promise a new chapter in their decades-old association with the BDD chawls. The transformation is stark. The new apartments, with a carpet area of 500 sq ft, are a significant upgrade from the single-room tenements of barely 160 sq ft that generations of families shared in the chawls.