Connect with us
Wednesday,02-July-2025
Breaking News

Maharashtra

SC shields ex-IAS trainee officer Puja Khedkar from arrest

Published

on

New Delhi, Jan 15: In an interim order passed on Wednesday, the Supreme Court directed that no coercive action be taken against sacked Maharashtra cadre probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who allegedly submitted false OBC and PwBD (Persons with Benchmark Disabilities) certificates and fraudulently availed attempts beyond the permissible limits provided for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) by faking her identity.

Issuing notice on Puja Khedkar’s anticipatory bail plea, a bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and S.C. Sharma asked the Delhi Police and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to file its reply in the matter by February 14.

In the meantime, Justice Nagarathna-led Bench granted protection to Puja Khedkar from arrest.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had dismissed Khedkar’s pre-arrest bail petition and vacated its earlier order shielding her from arrest.

In its judgment delivered on December 15, 2024, a bench of Justice Chandra Dhari Singh opined that prima facie, a strong case was made out against Khedkar, adding that custodial interrogation of a person accused of an offence of such nature is required to unearth the facts.

Justice Singh-led Bench, on November 28, 2024, reserved its decision on her anticipatory bail plea after hearing both sides. It was then clarified that till the judgment is delivered, the interim relief granted earlier on August 12 shielding Khedkar from arrest will continue.

Before this, a court here had turned down her anticipatory bail plea and asked the investigating agency to find out if anyone from inside the UPSC had helped Khedkar. Widening the scope of the probe, Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala had asked Delhi Police to investigate if other people recommended by the UPSC have availed quota benefits without entitlement.

The Centre, on September 7, 2024, sacked Khedkar from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) with immediate effect, a month after the UPSC cancelled her selection in government service.

Khedkar has been found guilty of faking and wrongly availing OBC and disability quota benefits. After cancelling her selection, the UPSC also barred her for life from taking the entrance exam after finding her guilty of faking her identity to take the exam multiple times.

In a status report submitted to the Delhi High Court, the city Police had contended that former Maharashtra cadre probationary IAS officer Khedkar had submitted two separate disability certificates for her UPSC exam. The disability certificates dated 2018 and 2021 citing ‘multiple disabilities’ were purportedly issued by the Ahmednagar District Civil Hospital for her UPSC attempts made in 2022 and 2023. However, as per Delhi Police’s status report, the hospital authorities had denied that the certificates claiming ‘multiple disabilities’ were issued to her by them.

It was found that Khedkar availed relaxed criteria for OBC candidates and persons with disabilities.

It then came to light that her father, a former Maharashtra government officer, had property to the tune of Rs 40 crore and that she did not qualify for the non-creamy layer OBC quota.

he UPSC had said that its Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) “could not detect her number of attempts primarily because she changed not only her name but also her parents’ names”.

Maharashtra

Navi Mumbai Shocker: Woman Abandons 15-Day-Old Baby With Commuters On CSMT–Panvel Local At Seawoods Station; Police Launch Search

Published

on

Navi Mumbai: On Monday afternoon, a woman abandoned her 15-day-old baby with a commuter in a CSMT-Panvel local train, fleeing under the pretext of being unable to get down with her luggage. The incident occurred at Seawoods railway station on the Harbour line. Vashi Railway Police have registered a case against the unidentified woman and have launched a search to trace her.

Divya Naidu (19), a Mumbai resident, boarded the local train from CSMT to Juinagar around 11 am along with her friend Bhoomika Mane. Around 12 pm, as the train passed Sanpada station, the two friends moved towards the door to get down at Juinagar. In the same compartment, there was an unknown woman aged between 30 to 35, seated with three bags and holding a baby.

The woman told Naidu and Mane that she would be getting off at Seawoods station but due to her luggage, she would not be able to get down with the baby on her own. She requested their help to accompany her till Seawoods.

Wanting to help, they both agreed and got off at Seawoods with the baby. However, to their shock, the woman did not get down and remained on the train, looking at them as it moved ahead. Hoping she would return, the two young women waited at the station for a long time, but when the woman did not come back, they took the baby to Mane’s house in Juinagar and took care of it.

Later, acting on the advice of their family members, they approached Vashi Railway Police and reported the incident.

Based on their complaint, a case has been registered under Section 93 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the unknown woman for abandoning the infant. Senior Police Inspector Kiran Undre of Vashi Railway Police Station confirmed the registration of the case and said that CCTV footage is being reviewed to identify and trace the woman.

The baby has been admitted to a hospital’s intensive care unit for observation. Inspector Undre also appealed to the public to come forward with any information about the woman who abandoned the baby. “As per the footage, the lady got down at Khandeshwar and we are investigating further,” Undre said.

Continue Reading

Maharashtra

Insulting and objectionable comments on farmers, commotion in the Assembly, Congress leader Nana Patole suspended for a day, determined to continue the fight.

Published

on

Mumbai: Senior Congress leader and MLA Nana Patole has been suspended from the assembly proceedings for a day for protesting in front of the speaker’s podium in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly against the ruling party’s derogatory and objectionable remarks on the farmers’ issue. Nana Patole had protested in the house against the derogatory remarks against farmers, after which this action has been taken. The derogatory remarks against farmers had led to a ruckus in the house.

The House was rocked by a ruckus after Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate and BJP MLA Babunrao Lonekar made derogatory remarks against farmers, alleged Nana Patole. After which Nana Patole and opposition leaders reached the Speaker’s chair in protest, a ruckus broke out and demanded an apology for the remark. Speaker Rahul Narvekar asked the members to maintain order and sit in their seats, but the ruckus continued and Nana Patole was suspended from the Assembly for a day.

Addressing reporters on the ridicule of farmers, Congress leader Nana Patole said that those who insult farmers are given respect and those who fight for the rights of farmers are thrown out of the assembly. Nana Patole criticized the ministers of the state government and the central government and said that today farmers are being treated like beggars. He said that due to unseasonal rains, the crops of farmers have been destroyed and the government has not taken any effective steps to help the farmers and their insurance has also expired. The Congress leader, calling the government anti-farmers, vowed to continue fighting for their rights even after disciplinary action. He said that we will continue to fight against this corrupt and incompetent government even if we have to face suspension every day.

Continue Reading

Maharashtra

Mosques Turn To Low-Volume Tech And Mobile Apps For Azaan Amid Noise Rule Enforcement

Published

on

Mumbai: With mosques adopting new ways to summon the faithful for prayers after the enforcement of noise levels on loudspeakers, the sound of the azaan, or call to prayers, in Mumbai has become fainter.

Yusuf Ansari, who has an office in Govandi, said he cannot hear the azaan from the Madina Mosque, which is just 100 metres away. The mosque has replaced the loudspeakers with sound boxes that have lower volumes. The police commissioner of Mumbai has said that loudspeakers have been removed from 1500 mosques and other religious institutions to comply with the Bombay High Court’s directions.

After the enforcement of the noise rules, mosques that used loudspeakers to call devotees for the five daily prayers said they are adapting to the new requirements. While many have subscribed to mobile applications that allow mosques to send a live broadcast of the azaans on their phones, others are using sound equipment with sound levels below the legal limit. 

Bilal Mosque on Maulana Shaukat Ali Road (Grant Road), one of the largest mosques in the city, said the shrine is planning to buy new sound equipment that have noise levels lower than 55 dB (decibels) during the day, the legally permissible upper limit according to the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000. Aslam Lakha, mosque trustee, said that they are using microphones inside the mosque for prayers, but have stopped using loudspeakers for azaan. 

“The ban on loudspeakers has affected us, but we will have to follow the law. The trust is meeting to decide the next step. There is sound equipment that features noise levels up to 54 dB. We will install that,” said Lakha, who thanked the Mumbai police commissioner for handling the issue with sensitivity. “We have been told that we will have permission to use loudspeakers for festivals.”

Mahim’s Bismillah Mosque, one of the first to employ a mobile application that helps mosques play their azaans live to subscribers, recently shifted from a New York-based service to an app developed in India called ‘OnlineAzan’. Trustee of the mosque, Moinuddin Ali, said that around 225 people have subscribed to the mosque’s live azaans. “We also have our sound equipment, but adjust the noise to meet legal requirements,” said Ali.

The largest mosque in Mahim, the Juma Masjid, has registered with the same app. Till Monday, around 1200 devotees had subscribed to the service. Fahad Pathan, the mosque’s managing trustee, said that they preferred to subscribe to the Indian app after concerns about data stored in the service. “People were concerned about where their personal phone numbers and other data were going. This app is free and is financed by a Tirunelveli-based philanthropist,” said Pathan.

The meticulous registration process for the app means that data on the app is less likely to be misused. “Another feature is that the app only provides a live azaan service from the mosque of your choice. There are no advertisements or other services. You can leave one mosque and move to one closer when you are traveling,” added Pathan.

The enforcement of the noise rules created friction between the police and the Muslim community, with the former being accused of acting arbitrarily without warnings. A few residents of the city have filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court, seeking relaxation in the rules. Ansari’s Hazrat Khwaja Garib Nawaz Maharashtra Committee has collected 40,000 signatures from Muslims who want lenient rules. “We are also hoping that the Bombay High Court listens to the petition filed by community members,” said Lakha.

Continue Reading

Trending