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SC junks pleas alleging illegal construction at Jagannath temple by Odisha govt

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The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain petitions claiming illegal construction and excavation at the Shree Jagannath temple in Puri by the Odisha government.

A vacation bench comprising Justices B.R. Gavai and Hima Kohli criticised the PIL petitioners for wasting court’s time with frivolous petitions and also pointed out that in the recent past there has been a mushrooming growth in the PILs. “We deprecate the practice of filing such PILsa. It’s a waste of judicial time and it needs to be nipped in the bud so that development work is not stalled…,” said the bench.

The bench added that many such petitions are either publicity interest litigation or personal interest litigation.

During the hearing senior advocate Mahalakshmi Pavani, representing the petitioner, submitted before a vacation bench that no construction can be carried out in the prohibited area at the temple and the state government got NOC from the National Monuments Authority (NMA) and carried out the construction. She argued that only director archaeology either at central or state level could grant a valid certificate, and not the NMA.

Advocate General (AG) for Odisha Ashok Kumar Parija contended before the bench that NMA is the authority under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act. He added that the state government’s director culture is the competent authority, which gave the permission, and the government plans to provide amenities and beautification of the temple. Parija pointed out that renovation of an existing structure or building, or maintenance and cleansing of drains and similar conveniences, and maintenance of works meant for providing supply of water for the public do not fall under the ambit of construction.

After hearing the detailed arguments in the matter, the top court on Thursday said it will pronounce the order on Friday. Petitioner Ardhendu Kumar Das and others have moved the top court alleging illegal excavation and construction work carried out by the state government at the temple. The plea alleged that the state government is carrying out unauthorised construction work, which is a threat to the structure of the temple.

Crime

Mumbai: Man Arrested At Airport For Derogatory Social Media Posts On Bhagavad Gita & Women

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Mumbai: Mangaluru City Police have arrested a Mumbai native accused of uploading social media posts that promoted feelings of enmity or hatred in 2024.

The accused, who was working in Saudi Arabia, was arrested at Mumbai Airport based on a Look Out Circular (LOC).

The accused, Felix Edward Mathais (aged 56), is alleged to have circulated derogatory posts about the Bhagavad Gita and women in February 2024.

A case was registered against him at the Kankanady City Police Station under sections 153(A), 504, 507, 509 of the IPC and Section 66(D) of the IT Act.

At the time the case was filed, Mathais was in Saudi Arabia for employment, which prevented his arrest. The accused, originally from Charkop, Mumbai, was the subject of an LOC issued by the police following information gathered about his overseas employment.

The accused landed at Mumbai Airport from abroad. Immigration officials detained him and informed the Mangaluru Police. Subsequently, he was arrested at the Airport on December 5, 2025.

He was brought to Mangaluru for investigation and produced before the Court. A report has been submitted to the court requesting the confiscation of his passport.

Another accused in the case, Evigin John D’Souza (aged 57), was previously arrested on August 11, 2024, and produced before the court.

The investigation into the case is ongoing.

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Crime

Palghar Crime: 40-Year-Old Constable Arrested For Allegedly Raping Woman Inside Kasa Police Station

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Palghar, Maharashtra, Dec 08: A 40-year-old police constable has been arrested for allegedly raping a woman inside the Kasa police station in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, officials said on Monday.

According to a senior official from the Palghar rural police, the incident took place last week when the woman had visited the station to record her statement in connection with an ongoing case. The constable allegedly assaulted her within the premises.

Following a complaint filed by the woman, a case of rape was registered and the constable was arrested on Sunday, officials confirmed.

In the aftermath of the incident, the in-charge of the Kasa police station has been transferred. Further investigation is underway.

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Crime

Mumbai ANC Detains Repeat Drug Offender For One Year Under Rare PIT-NDPS Action

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Mumbai: In a major preventive action against repeat drug offenders, the Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) of the Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested a 29-year-old drug trafficker under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (PIT-NDPS) Act, lodging him in Kolhapur Central Jail for one year.

The accused has been identified as Surajkumar Ramvilas Prajapati (29), a resident of Albert Compound, Vasari Hill, Shankar Nagar, near Rustamjee Tower, Goregaon (West).

While preventive detention of habitual offenders during election seasons is common to avoid threats to law and order, such detentions typically last only a few days and the individuals are released after polling.

However, in a rare and unprecedented move, the Mumbai Police have detained Prajapati for an entire year and shifted him to Kalamba Central Jail, Kolhapur.

The action was taken under the stringent PIT-NDPS Act, 1988, a provision invoked only in exceptional cases to isolate habitual offenders from society.

A senior Mumbai Police officer said a similar action under the PIT-NDPS Act was previously taken against Iqbal Memon alias Iqbal Mirchi, Dawood Ibrahim’s key drug handler. After Mirchi, this is considered the second major preventive detention under the Act in recent years.

According to police, Prajapati has seven ganja trafficking cases registered against him:

Four cases at Malad Police Station

One case at Goregaon Police Station

Two cases with the Kandivali Unit of the ANC

He was recently granted bail in the Kandivali Unit case, but investigations revealed he continued operating in narcotics trafficking despite multiple bail orders.

Given the ongoing threat posed by the accused and his repeated return to drug peddling, the ANC submitted a proposal to detain him under the PIT-NDPS Act to the Competent Authority Principal Secretary (Special), Home Department, Government of Maharashtra.
The proposal was approved, and an official detention order was issued.

Following the approval, Prajapati was taken into custody and on December 6, 2025, lodged in Kalamba Central Prison, Kolhapur, for preventive detention of one year.

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