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Maharashtra

‘Will hear today at 5pm’, SC on Shiv Sena chief whip plea against Guv’s order for floor test

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Shiv Sena chief whip Sunil Prabhu has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Maharashtra Governor’s direction to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to take a floor test and prove its majority in the House on Thursday (June 30). The court agreed to hear the case at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

The Special Assembly will convene at 11 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. Thursday. The day’s proceedings shall be video-graphed and telecast live, with provisions for adequate security both inside and outside the legislature, the Governor has directed.

A 3-page letter to the effect was issued to the Maharashtra Legislature Secretary by the Raj Bhavan late on Tuesday — soon after a delegation of the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) met the Governor and urged him for immediate directions to the MVA to prove its majority.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi mentioned the matter before a vacation bench of the apex court headed by Justice Surya Kant and sought urgent hearing on the matter later in the day. Justice Kant told Singhvi that the court will hear the matter on Thursday at 5 p.m… “Whatever may be the outcome…we will hear the matter today,” said Justice Kant.

The bench asked Singhvi to circulate the paperbook to all the parties involved in the matter and the court by 3 p.m. Senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, representing the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, opposed Singhvi’s submissions and urged the court to hear the matter on Thursday.

The bench said, “Keeping in view the mind of urgency that has been created, we will want to hear the matter today”.

On June 27, the Supreme Court declined to pass an interim order on the MVA’s counsel’s submissions that there should not be any floor test in the Assembly till July 11, as it extended, till July 12, the time granted to the 16 dissident MLAs to submit their response to the disqualification notices.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and J.B. Pardiwala had said it cannot pass an order, which would create unnecessary complications. It told senior advocate Devdutt Kamat, representing the MVA government, that if anything illegal happens, then he can always come back to the top court.

As Kamat said if disqualification proceedings were put in abeyance, then there should not be any floor test in the Assembly, the bench said: “On presumptions, can we pass (an order)…”

Then as Kamat urged the court to give his client the liberty to come to the court if there is an attempt to alter the status quo, Justice Surya Kant said: “Do you need our liberty… Let us not create any complications on the basis of apprehensions not founded now.”

The top court scheduled the matter for further hearing on July 11.

Kamat added that no court has ever granted a stay of disqualification process and the proceedings of the House will be interdicted as he questioned the maintainability of the petitions by Shinde and rebel Shiv Sena MLAs.

The top court was hearing the petitions by Eknath Shinde and other rebel MLAs of Shiv Sena challenging the disqualification notices issued by the Deputy Speaker to them and also the appointment of Ajay Choudhari as Shiv Sena Legislature Party leader.

Maharashtra

Thief who came from Mumbai and committed several thefts arrested

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Mumbai: Police have claimed to have arrested a thief who committed theft in the limits of Milind police station, against whom several cases of theft and burglary are registered in Mumbai. Mumbai Zone 7 DCP Vijay Kant Sagare, while addressing a press conference here, said that the accused came to Mumbai by flight with the intention of stealing and broke into several 5 houses.

Theft cases are registered against him in Nehru Nagar, Milind, Alwaye, Navi Mumbai. One and a half lakh silver ornaments weighing two kg, totaling Rs 15 lakh have been seized. Cases of stalking are also registered against the criminal Rajesh in Dombivali, Vishnu Nagar, Vishai, Vitthalwadi, Manpara, Pan police stations.

The accused told that he came to Mumbai from Varanasi by plane on March 13, 2025 and robbed five houses in 15 days.

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Maharashtra

Struggle Against Land Mafia in Waqf Properties: New Amended Bill Adds to the Challenges

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New Delhi : In the ongoing battle to protect Waqf properties and ensure their benefits reach the deserving, land mafias, encroachers, and illegal groups were already a major hurdle. Now, the government’s newly amended bill has emerged as another significant challenge. Advocate Dr. Syed Ejaz Abbas Naqvi has strongly criticized this move and demanded immediate reforms. He stated that the primary objective of Waqf was to benefit the needy, but unfortunately, this objective has completely failed. On the other hand, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the largest Sikh religious organization, has been actively involved in the welfare of its community for decades. As a result, the Sikh community has nearly eradicated beggars and human rickshaw pullers.

Illegal Encroachments and Misuse of Waqf Lands Exposed :
According to Dr. Naqvi, Waqf properties have suffered the most due to unlawful encroachments by vested interest groups. The most unfortunate fact is that many Waqf lands were originally donated for the shrines (Dargahs) of Syed families, but they have been grossly misused. He revealed that a well-known individual shamelessly sold an acre of prime Waqf land on Mumbai’s Altamount Road for just 1.6 million rupees, a blatant violation of Waqf principles and laws.

Demand for a Stricter Amendment in Section 52 :
Dr. Naqvi has called on the government to take strict action against those who illegally sell Waqf properties. He has urged for an immediate amendment to Section 52 of the Waqf Act to introduce

capital punishment or life imprisonment* for unauthorized Waqf land sellers. This issue is a major setback for those fighting to safeguard Waqf properties, who are already battling corrupt elements and illegal land grabbers. It remains to be seen whether the government takes these concerns seriously and enacts effective legislation to protect Waqf lands.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Cleanup Marshal and Swachh Mumbai campaign ended, fine collection from citizens also stopped, BMC helpline number released

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Mumbai: Mumbai BMC has abolished the clean-up marshal policy, after which now the clean-up marshal has disappeared from the streets of the city. The Municipal Corporation has completely banned the clean-up marshal and the Swachh Mumbai Mission has been stopped. This means that now no clean-up marshal will be able to force citizens to pay fines or take any other punitive action. After complaints against clean-up marshals, Mumbai BMC has decided to stop and suspend the service of clean-up marshals from today.

The Solid Waste Management Department of Mumbai Municipal Corporation, under the Department of Garbage and Sanitation, oversees public cleanliness in Mumbai and the ‘Swachh Mumbai Mission’ has been closed from April 4, 2025. However, the Municipal Corporation administration has appealed to the citizens that if any fine has been imposed on them despite this, then they can complain about it. Complaints regarding cleanup marshals can be made to the divisional control room of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation at 022-23855128 and 022-23877691 (extension number 549/500).

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