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Maharashtra

Supreme Court dismisses PIL seeking direction to designate BMC as sole planning authority for Mumbai

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New Delhi, Dec 16: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a direction to the Urban Development Department of Maharashtra government to designate BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) as the sole and centralised planning and sanctioning authority for the city of Mumbai.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan asked the petitioner, Earth, a non-government organisation, to approach the Bombay High Court.

Sensing the disclination of the apex court to entertain the plea, the petitioner’s counsel sought liberty to withdraw the PIL. Ultimately, the matter was dismissed as withdrawn by the apex court.

The PIL said that Section 40 of the Maharashtra Regional & Town Planning (MRTP) Act, 1966, which empowers the state government to appoint a Special Planning Authority (SPA) for notified areas, was enacted before the Constitution (74th Amendment) Act, effective June 1993.

“This amendment introduced Part IXA, titled ‘The Municipalities’ (Articles 243P to 243ZG along with Twelfth Schedule), establishing the framework for the constitution, composition, and responsibilities of Municipalities. However, Section 40 was not amended to explicitly define the roles, powers, and functions of a SPA concerning matters outlined in Schedule XII,” the plea added.

Despite this lack of clarity, the Urban Development Department proceeded to appoint multiple SPAs, which diluted the planning and sanctioning powers of BMC, contented the petition, adding that “this ambiguity has adversely affected BMC’s ability to address key issues in Schedule XII, including urban planning, land use regulation, building construction, road and bridge maintenance, and slum improvement”.

The PIL, filed through advocate Dilip Annasaheb Taur, said that the approach has hindered urban development and limited citizens’ access to amenities due to a lack of transparency and consistency in the approval processes of the SPAs, the transfer of public amenities, and the execution of the 18 responsibilities outlined in the Schedule XII.

“The insufficient transparency in transferring amenities to the BMC obstructs effective urban planning and negatively impacts residents, depriving them of essential services and facilities,” it said.

The BMC established under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act of 1888 (MMC Act), serves as both the governing civic body and the planning authority for Mumbai in accordance with the MRTP Act, 1966.

The petition said that the existence of multiple planning authorities (without a clear delineation of duties) has led to certain operational inefficiencies, and the planning and sanctioning process of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) is laced with “major deficiencies”.

Maharashtra

Sameer Wankhede targeted in The Baddest of Bollywood; Delhi High Court orders removal of objectionable content from controversial series in defamation case

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Mumbai: The Mumbai-Delhi High Court has strongly criticized Red Chillies Entertainment Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri Khan and others in the defamation case against NCB Zonal Director IRS officer Sameer Wankhede and said that artistic freedom does not mean mocking a person. After this, the High Court has ordered that the controversial footage related to Sameer Wankhede be removed from the controversial Netflix series The Bads of Bollywood. Sameer Wankhede had filed a petition in the High Court and pleaded that his character has been killed in The Bads of Bollywood and this series has been made to target him. The purpose is to humiliate and mock Sameer Wankhede. After watching some parts of this series, the High Court has ordered the removal of the controversial parts from the film.

Sameer Wankhede’s lawyer had told the court that the character portrayed in the film is a comparison to Sameer Wankhede and that this series has been created with the intention of tarnishing Wankhede’s image. The Bads of Bollywood is malicious, therefore, the above-mentioned controversial scenes and objectionable dialogues should be deleted from the series, on which the court has issued an order to delete the controversial and objectionable content and content. Earlier, while hearing Sameer Wankhede’s petition, the court had sent notices to Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies, Netflix, Meta, and social media platforms and directed them to file a response. To this, Red Chillies had called the film and series a drama and made it clear that it had nothing to do with the facts. However, despite this, the Delhi High Court inquired whether a film drama does not mean that someone’s character is killed and said this, it reprimanded Shah Rukh Khan and the film company. Sameer Wankhede tried to prove through his argument that the character portrayed in the film resembles Sameer Wankhede and that this character has been portrayed in a negative way to target him and in this, an attempt has been made to make fun of Sameer Wankhede through this character, which has humiliated Wankhede, which the court has accepted and issued a directive to delete the objectionable and controversial content. This is a big success for Sameer Wankhede, while Shah Rukh Khan has suffered a huge setback.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai arms supplier arrested from Ghatkopar depot

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Mumbai: Police has claimed to have arrested an arms supplier from Ghatkopar Bus Depot who had come here to supply arms to Mumbai. The Mumbai Police Ghatkopar Anti-Gang Squad received information about this. The police laid a trap and took the accused into custody and recovered two country-made pistols and four live cartridges from his possession. During the investigation, the police asked him his name and he revealed his name as Ajay Kailash, a resident of Ujjain. The police have registered a case in this matter and started the investigation. Pantnagar Police has started the investigation in this matter to find out from where the accused had brought the arms to supply arms. This action was taken by DCP Rakesh Ola on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti.

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Crime

Thane: Man Stabbed To Death In Dombivali Hotel After Minor Altercation

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Thane: A man was stabbed to death in Dombivali in Thane district during an altercation after he accidentally brushed against another person, a police official said on Monday.

The incident took place in a hotel in the early hours of Sunday in MIDC Phase 1 area, the Manpada police station official said.

“Akash Bhanu Singh (38) and his friends were having dinner at the hotel when he accidentally brushed against the accused, who picked up a fight. He along with some others stabbed Singh to death. Two of Singh’s friends, who tried to save him, also sustained injuries and have been hospitalised,” the official said.

Four persons were booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections for murder and other offences, though no arrest has been made, he said.

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