National News
‘Very irritating’, SC to Bilkis Bano counsel on frequent mentioning of plea against convicts
The Supreme Court on Wednesday told the counsel, representing Bilkis Bano, that the plea for urgent listing should not be mentioned frequently, saying “it is very irritating”.
Bano had moved the apex court against the release of 11 convicts in a case of gang-rape and murder of her family members during the 2002 Gujarat riots. Advocate Shobha Gupta, representing Bilkis Bano, submitted before a bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud the writ petition was listed on Tuesday but it was not taken up.
The bench told the counsel that the writ petition will be listed and added, “Don’t keep mentioning the same thing again and again. It is very irritating”. It further emphasized that the matter will be listed and asked the counsel to avoid mentioning the matter frequently.
On Tuesday, Justice Bela M. Trivedi, sitting on a bench led by Justice Ajay Rastogi, had recused from the hearing petition by Bilkis. The matter as a consequence would be posted before another bench.
In the plea, Bano said release of all the convicts came as a shock. The petition, filed through advocate Shobha Gupta, said: “The premature release of all the convicts came as a shock not only to the petitioner, to her grown up daughters, to her family, but also to the society at large, nationally and internationally, and the society across segments had shown their anger, disappointment, distrust and protest to the clemency shown by the Government by releasing criminals like the 11 convicts of the case.”
Terming the release order mechanical, the plea said the en masse premature release of the convicts in much talked about case of Bilkis Bano, has shaken conscience of the society and resulted in a number of agitations across the country.
The plea contended that the shocking news of premature release of all the convicts, including the writ petitioner was revealed to the present petitioner and public at large when the convicts were honoured and photographed in full public glare.
Bilkis had also filed a review petition against the May 13, 2022 order by the Supreme Court, which allowed the Gujarat government to consider remission plea by one of the convicts in terms of 1992 policy. The state government in August, decided to release all the 11 convicts, undergoing life term, on remission. A clutch of petitions has been filed challenging the state government’s decision.
Mumbai Press Exclusive News
Nigerian arrested with cocaine in Mumbai

Mumbai: Police has claimed to have arrested a Nigerian with cocaine in the limits of Maloney police station and 180 grams of cocaine have been seized from his possession. Police searched Manuchi Agwa alias Oliver Agwa, 27, during a patrol and recovered cocaine from his possession. Along with the cocaine, a total of Rs 72 lakhs has been seized from the possession of the Nigerian. The police have registered a case under the NDPS Act and started investigation.
Business
Rs 7,253 crore spent so far in 2025-26 on sprucing up railway stations in India: Vaishnaw

New Delhi, Dec 5: The government has spent Rs 7,253 crore so far (up to October), of the total budgetary allocation of Rs 12,118 crore for 2025–26, on the redevelopment of railway stations across the country under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed Parliament on Friday.
The minister stated in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha that work is in progress at a good pace for the development of stations such as Tirupati, Yesvantpur, Rameswaram, and Safdarjung station in Delhi..
So far, 1,337 stations have been identified for development under this scheme since it was launched, of which 155 stations have been completed till now.
Vaishnaw said that the station development projects under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme are primarily conceptualised with budgetary support. However, 15 stations have been identified to be explored for development under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode also and based on the experience gained from the same, further evolution of the scheme is envisaged.
He further stated that the ownership of stations and operations-related activity will be with the Indian Railways. However, for some identified major stations, specific activities or groups of activities may be entrusted to outside sources for specified tenures depending upon the type of activity, requirements of the station, demand, etc. The terms of the contract are decided on a case-by-case basis.
He said that the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme for the redevelopment of stations has been launched with a long-term approach.
The scheme involves the preparation of master plans and their implementation in phases to improve the stations. The master planning includes improvement of access to the station and circulating areas, integration of the station with both sides of the city, improvement of the station building and improvement of waiting halls, toilets, sitting arrangement, and water booths.
The redevelopment plans also include provision of wider foot over bridge or air concourse commensurate with passenger traffic, provision of lifts, escalators and ramps, improvement of platform surface and cover over platforms and provision of kiosks for local products through schemes like ‘One Station One Product’.
Besides, the construction of parking areas, multimodal integration, amenities for Divyangjans, better passenger information systems, provision of executive lounges, nominated spaces for business meetings and landscaping is being taken up, keeping in view the necessity at each station, Vaishnaw said.
The scheme also envisages sustainable and environment-friendly solutions, provision of ballastless tracks, etc., as per necessity, phasing and feasibility and creation of a city centre at the station in the long term, the minister added.
National News
Palghar Illegal Building Collapse: Civic Official Arrested For Failing To Act On Unsafe Structure

Palghar: In a major development nearly three months after the collapse of an illegal residential building that claimed 17 lives, Assistant Commissioner Gilson Gonsalves has been arrested for allegedly failing to take timely action against the dangerous structure.
According to police, Gonsalves, who headed Ward-C of the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC), did not initiate mandatory action against the unauthorised and unsafe Ramabai Apartment, nor did he file a case under the MRTP Act within the stipulated period. His inaction, officials say, contributed to the scale of the tragedy.
The four-storey Ramabai Apartment, located in Vijay Nagar, Virar (East), collapsed on 26 August 2025 during the Ganesh festival, triggering shock and panic across the city. The incident killed 17 residents and left nine others injured. The building, which contained 50 flats, had deteriorated severely in just a few years.
Investigators revealed that the developer had misled residents into believing the structure was authorised, leading them to continue paying municipal taxes. Following the collapse, police registered a case against builder Nital Sane, the landowner, and three others. Five individuals, including the builder, were arrested, although four have since been granted bail.
Police Commissioner Niket Kaushik had handed the investigation over to Crime Branch Unit-3, which continued to probe municipal lapses. During the inquiry, it emerged that despite the building being declared dangerous, Gonsalves did not ensure the evacuation of residents or pursue legal action against the developer.
As a result, Crime Branch officials registered a case against him and arrested him at around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday night. Although Gonsalves had applied for anticipatory bail in the Vasai court, his plea was rejected.
The arrest marks a significant step in the ongoing probe, as authorities face increasing pressure from residents and activists to hold both builders and civic officials accountable for the region’s growing number of unsafe and unauthorised structures.
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