in a first, brics nations name pakistan-based terror groups september,2017 times of india...
TRANSCRIPT
Snubs Sena-Led BMC On Metro Depot
Beijing: In a significant con-cession, China agreed on Mo-nday to include specific refer-ences to Pakistan-based anti-India terror groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muham-med in the Brics declaration
even though it has consistent-ly blocked New Delhi’s at-tempts to get the UN to sanc-tion Jaish chief Maulana Ma-sood Azhar.
The references to JeM andLashkar, which enjoy the sup-port of the Pakistan Armyand the ISI, amount to a set-back to China’s “all-weather”ally as the previous Brics out-
come document at Goa hadomitted naming the terrorgroups responsible for manystrikes and deaths in India.
“We support the efforts ofthe Afghan national defenceand security forces in fight-ing terrorist organisations,”the declaration said. “We, inthis regard, express concernon the security situation in
the region and violence cau-sed by the Taliban, ISIL/Da-esh, al-Qaida and its affiliat-es, including Eastern Turkis-tan Islamic Movement, Isla-mic Movement of Uzbekist-an, the Haqqani network, La-shkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Muh-ammed, TTP and Hizb-ut-Tahrir,” it said.
The inclusion of TTP
(Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan)is unlikely to reduce the em-barrassment for Pakistan asthe naming of its terror prox-ies will be seen as a gain forPM Narendra Modi, who hassucceeded at the Brics meet-ing in the port city of Xiamenafter being stalled at Goa.
Lashkar, JaishMentioned InDeclaration
In a first, Brics nations namePakistan-based terror groups
HAPPY TEACHER’S DAY
BENNETT, COLEMAN & CO. LTD. | ESTABLISHED 1838 | TIMESOFINDIA.COM | EPAPER.TIMESOFINDIA.COM MUMBAI | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2017 | PAGES 34 *
Times Interact | P 8, 10 & 12
*The TOI Combo offer and Bombay Times Supplement are available in Mumbai, Thane
and Raigad districts while Education Times willbe circulated in Mumbai Metro Region only.
* PLUS 10 PAGES BOMBAY TIMES
P R I C E ` 7 . 0 0 A L O N G W I T H M U M B A I M I R R O R O R T H E E C O N O M I C T I M E S O R M A H A R A S H T R A T I M E S *
The offices of The Times ofIndia will remain closed onTuesday for Anant Chaturdashi.There will, therefore, be noedition of the paper datedSeptember 6. For the latestnews and live updates, log onto www.timesofindia.com ortune in to TIMES NOW.
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
There couldn’t have beena better occasion thanTeachers Day to launch
our initiative to nurture thehabit of reading among you-ng students, Times SPARK(Scholarship Programme forAwareness, Reasoning andKnowledge). And so, we’re de-lighted to begin this ambitio-us scholarship programmefor school students from Cla-ss IX to XII, with which we ho-pe to transform many younglives and create a generationof leaders.
The Times of India’s ‘Read
to Lead’ initiative has clearlystruck a chord with parents,educationists and students,with more than 2 lakh stude-nts across the country registe-
ring for the programme.The highest number of re-
gistrations—40,000—origin-ate in the Delhi-NCR region,followed by Mumbai at 17,000.
But there have been admissi-ons from the length and bre-adth of the country, includingthe Naxal-affected area of Ga-dchiroli in Maharashtra.
What we see in these num-bers is a hunger for educationand a burning desire for a bet-ter life. The students who havesigned up for this programmeare among the best and brigh-test in the country. Their livesstretch ahead of them as long,fulfilling journeys rich withpromise and excitement. Withthis programme, we hope tohelp give them a head start.� For the first Times SPARKarticle, please turn to P 14
2 lakh bright young sparks sign up for TOI’s scholarship programme
Mumbai: Thirty-three hec-tares of Aarey Colony landhave been formally deletedfrom the No-DevelopmentZone (NDZ) and reserved forthe Metro III car depot/wo-rkshop and allied uses. Com-mercial use shall not be per-mitted on the land, states thenotification recently issuedby the urban developmentdepartment.
D Stalin, director of theNGO Vanashakti that has be-en fighting to have Aarey de-clared a forest, said under theMetro Act, all Metro land isallowed a floor space index(FSI) of 3 which can be usedelsewhere. “The government
must clarify where the 3 FSIof 33 hectares of Aarey landwill be used,” he said.
The Metro car shed is pro-posed for the 33.5km Metro li-ne from Colaba to Seepz inAndheri East.
Last month, the BMC Ho-use, while approving the dr-aft Development Plan 2034 re-jected the proposal to de-res-erve the 33 hectares from theNDZ for the car shed.
The Shiv Sena, which isthe ruling party in the Mum-bai civic corporation, has op-posed the construction of thecar shed in Aarey demand-ing that it be maintained as agreen zone.
State ignores protests,dereserves Aarey land
[email protected]: The Auranga-bad bench of the Bombayhigh court recently reprim-anded state food and civilsupplies minister Girish Ba-pat for restoring the licenceof a women’s self-help groupfrom Beed to operate a fairprice shop despite the groupfacing a criminal case for ill-egally lifting foodgrains du-ring the period when its lice-nce was suspended.
The minister ordered re-storation of the licence inMarch 2015 in a revision pro-cess after the group’s appealagainst its cancellation bythe Beed district supply offi-cer was dismissed by the de-puty commissioner (supply)in Aurangabad.
The bench of Justice Ra-vindra V Ghuge observedthat the minister “failed indischarging his duties as arevisional authority” by or-dering the licence of the gro-up to be “restored withoutany justifiable reason”.
The Supreme Court hasasked the Bombay HC to
settle all issues relating to RE-RA in two months and stayedproceedings in other courts.It said different HCs may giveconflicting orders hence it’sbetter that the matter be ex-amined by a single court. P 2
SC: Bombay HC tosettle RERA cases
Hindustan Unilever (HUL)has obtained an ad-inter-
im injunction against Patan-jali’s toilet soap ad, which al-legedly disparages HUL’s so-ap brands. The HC has direct-ed Patanjali Ayurved to stopairing the ad till the next hear-ing on September 18. P 17
HC relief for HULover Patanjali ad
Europe’s largest drugmak-er Novartis appointed
Harvard-trained doctor Vas-ant Narasimhan, a US citizenof Indian origin, as its CEOon Monday, after announcingthe surprising departure ofJoseph Jimenez after eightyears at the helm. P 17
Indian-origin docis Novartis CEO
An expert panel has prop-osed the creation of a
housing authority with qua-si-judicial powers to overseeaffairs of cooperative societ-ies. Legal experts have slam-med the proposal saying so-ciety members should be al-lowed to approach courts. P2
Panel calls forhousing authority
Amedical board of J J Ho-spital has favoured al-
lowing a 13-year-old girl, whohad approached the Supre-me Court last week, to aborther 30-week pregnancy. How-ever, they also said the fetuscould survive if given twomore weeks in the womb.P2
Docs play safe onminor’s abortion
The father of a 25-year-oldpolice constable, who di-
ed 10 minutes after being ad-mitted to JJ Hospital with asuspected case of malariaon Sunday, has alleged thathis son was not given anytreatment for three days atthe Nagpada Police Hospitaldespite having high feverand rashes on his body. P 5
Cop dies, policehospital blamed
New Delhi/Lucknow: Theuse of an expired explosivedetection kit at the ForensicScience Laboratory, Luck-now, ended up embarrass-ing the Yogi governmentwhen it was announced onMonday that the 150 gm ofwhite substance recoveredfrom the UP assembly wasnot the explosive PETN(pentaerythritol tetranitra-te), but silicon oxide (SiO2)—or harmless chalk powder.
The recovery on July 12hit national headlines andthe government, fearing amajor terror conspiracy, or-dered an NIA probe. “Hyde-rabad CFSL, in its report, in-formed us that the sub-stance was neither PETNnor any other explosive,”said a senior NIA official.The agency will now file a‘closure report’ in the case.
‘Explosive’ inUP House waschalk powder
Neeraj Chauhan & Shalabh Kumar TNN
Mumbai: The Supreme Cou-rt on Monday stayed the Bom-bay high court’s ad interim or-der in the sound pollution ma-tter, which had restored silentzones, to the dismay of activi-sts in the city. The SC stay is onthe order which had stayed thecentral amendment to noiserules requiring states to dem-arcate silent zones.
The Centre had moved theSC to challenge the full benchorder of the Bombay HC pas-sed last Friday. Tushar Mehta,additional solicitor-generalwho appeared for the Centre,sought a stay saying there wasurgency in its plea as Ganeshimmersion was on Tuesdayand the HC order is a law appli-cable throughout the country.
The SC bench of ChiefJustice Dipak Misra andJustices D Y Chandrachud
and A M Khanwilkar wereprima facie of the view thatthe Centre’s law can’t be sta-yed by an ad interim order inthis manner.
Navi Mumbai: Police on Mo-nday arrested two officials ofthe Sion-Panvel Tollways Pri-vate Limited (SPTPL) agency,in connection with a fatal mis-hap on the Uran phata flyoverin July. Senior manager andproject head Ramzan Pateland maintenance managerSanjeet Srivastav were arres-ted at the domestic airport, re-ports George Mendonca.
Police had booked five offi-cials of the SPTPL agency forculpable homicide not amou-nting to murder for not carry-ing out proper mastic asphal-ting work of the Uran phataflyover due to which the roadsurface had become slipperyand had led to a deadly pile-upinvolving multiple vehicleson July 4. P 5
2 toll collectionofficials held
for road mishapAt least two lakh directors
on the boards of compa-nies whose names have beenstruck off the Registrar ofCompanies, will be barred fr-om holding any board posit-ion in new ventures, reportsSidhartha. However, theywill not have to step downfrom the board of companieswhere they are currently di-rectors. So far, 2.1 lakh firmshave been struck off for notfiling returns and not compl-eting other compliance form-alities after notices were ser-ved on 2.97 lakh firms thathad failed to respond to noti-ces. Sources said this numb-er is expected to rise in comi-ng months and the crackdo-wn against directors will be-gin in the next few days. P 17
2L directors tobe barred from
new boards
Agra/Lucknow: Forty-ni-ne infants died in a month atFarrukhabad’s Ram Manoh-ar Lohia government hospi-tal, most of them due to “pe-rinatal asphyxia”, a conditi-on in which the child cannotbreathe properly, officialssaid on Monday.
In a virtual replay of thetragedy in Gorakhpur, whe-re 30 children died in two da-ys at a state-run hospital lastmonth, parents of many ofthe children in Farrukhab-ad told officials that therewas a delay in providing oxy-gen and medicines.
Soon after the matter ca-me to light, the state govern-ment transferred the districtmagistrate, the chief medicalofficer and the chief medicalsuperintendent. Principalhealth and family welfare se-cretary Prashant Trivedi sa-id a high-level committee willlook into the death of child-ren at the sick newborn careunit, clarifying that the factshad been misinterpreted andthe deaths were not linked tothe Gorakhpur tragedy.
Local officials said the ma-tter came to light when DM Ra-vindra Kumar ordered a pro-be on August 30 after he visi-ted the hospital and interactedwith parents of the victims.
49 babies die in a mthat another UP hospital
Arvind Chauhan & Shailvee Sharda TNN
➤For the next 90 days, we’ll publish one article every day in TOI➤Look out for a single blue marker inscribed with the legend “Times SPARK” in a corner of the article➤On Dec 10, there will be an online test based on these articles➤Around 800-1,000 of the students who take the test will be shortlisted for interviews. Of these candidates, 400 will finally win scholarships ranging from 1 lakh to 2 lakh➤The top students will get a chance to attend an orientationprogramme at American universities like Cornell and Georgia Tech
YOU’VE REGISTERED. WHAT’S NEXT?
�‘Against HC ruling’, P 4 �Commercial use, FSI, P 4
�UP govt red-faced, P 12 �‘Silence in Wankhede’, P 4 �‘No lack of oxygen’, P 12
�China in a spot, P 9
FULL COVERAGE: P 9Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan greet PrimeMinister Narendra Modi in Xiamen, China, on Monday
Leaving behind the Doklamepisode, India displayed
robust participation at theBRICS meeting at Xiamen onMonday, with PM NarendraModi proposing three big ideasto the group. He called forcreation of a BRICS credit ratingagency, enhanced cooperationbetween the five central banksand scaling up cooperation inskill development andexchange of best practices. P 9
PM proposes 3 bigideas at the summit
Saibal Dasgupta TNN
The licence of Savitribai Phulewomen’s self-help group inBeed was suspended andlater cancelledon charges ofcheating andoffences underthe EssentialCommoditiesAct. Foodminister Girish Bapat restoredthe group’s licence saying itdeserved another chanceuntil proven guilty
HC raps food min for‘aiding’ indicted group
SOUND & FURYHC: Central amendment to Noise Pollution Rules is “ex-facie unconstitutional” as it violates a citizen’s funda-mental right to life
PETITIONER: SC has no cause to stay the HC order when it itself has stayed its effect till October and no prosecution for sound pollution can take place till then
CENTRE: Want stay on HC order urgently as Ganesh immersion is on Tuesday
SC: The Centre’s law can’t be stayed by HC’s ad interim orderin this manner
� Toll a 3-yr low: BDR, P 9
SC stays HC orderrestoring silent zones,activists in city upset
19
THE TIMES OF INDIA, MUMBAITUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 20174 TIMES CITY
ANNEXING A FOOTPATH ANNEXING FOOTPATH AND ROAD
GIRGAUM BANDRA
GRABBED: Public property is encroached upon by a builder at Teacher’s Colony in Bandra (east) —Ramzan Manihar
GARBAGE DUMPING: Scrap dealers purchase old fridges and dump the waste in open space here —Edgar George
GARBAGE BINS AS ROAD DIVIDERS: This road is opposite the government colony at Antop Hill. Open garbage bins affect the health of residents in the neighbourhood—Sunny Talathi
SCHOOL CHILDREN ARE RISKING LIFE: A private van no MH 48 AY 0426 was ferrying school children, some of the students were standing on the footboard and risking their lives —Vidyut Chatty
ENCROACHMENT ON FOOTPATH FOR VOTEBANK? The footpath has such shops built on it, no place to walk. This is in Govt. Colony, Bandra (east). —Ashish Upadhyay
CYLINDERS STOCKED ON THOROUGHFARE: This is outside a gas agency at New Majestic Shopping Centre in Girgaum —Ravinarayan
BE A SMART TOICITIZEN REPORTERKeep mobile phone’s GPS on while clicking and sending picturesDescribe exactly where and when picture was taken, giving street names and other locators
More photos, videos on timesofindia.com
MULUND
anANTOP HILL
GOREGAON BANDRA
Mumbai: Thirty-three hecta-res of Aarey have been formal-ly deleted from the NDZ and re-served for the Metro III carshed, states a notification issu-ed by the urban developmentdepartment.
In December last year, thestate government had invitedobjections/suggestions forchange of land use of 29.5 hec-tares of village Prajapur andanother three hectares fromvillage Vyravali in Aarey for acar depot and commercial use.
The state urban develop-ment department issued thenotification on August 24 for-malising the change of use ofland from NDZ to a car shed.Two days earlier, when Cong-ress’s Mumbai unit presidentSanjay Nirupam alleged the go-vernment plans to commerci-ally exploit the car shed plotand that it was an Rs18,000 cro-re scam, CM Devendra Fadna-vis, on the same day, issued aclarification stating no com-mercial exploitation will be al-lowed on the 30-hectare plot.While five hectares will be re-served as a green patch, 25 hec-tares will be used for the carshed, he said. The notificationstates the Mumbai Metro RailCorporation Limited(MMRCL) will be the appropri-ate authority for developmentof the reservation.
The change of use of landhas been allowed on the condi-tion that a certain area will bekept open and MMRCL willconserve trees on it perma-nently. To mitigate the environ-mental impact to Aarey, it hasproposed that MMRCL provideground water recharging ar-rangement at the depot, carryout tree plantation as per therecommendation of the com-mittee, trees above ten feet ofnative variety to be planted,plantation to be undertaken byprofessional agencies only, an-nual audit to be conducted ofplantation by third party andtrees maintained for five years.
Nirupam said the car shedshould not be allowed in Aarey.“It is a forest and so a naturalarea. To mark it as a No-Deve-lopment Zone itself is a conspi-racy as this allows 15% of theland to be commercially exploi-ted. This will open the floodga-tes for construction on the 2,000hectares of forest land,” he sa-id. MMRCL did not respond to
TOI’s queries on commercialexploitation and the FSI thatwould be generated.
“Details pertaining to thecar depot land at Aarey are al-ready made available byMMRCL in the public domain.We at, MMRC, would like tohighlight the fact that once ope-rational, the Metro Line lll willconnect the currently uncon-
nected parts of the city and pro-vide a safe and comfortable tra-vel experience to Mumbaikarsunder all circumstances. Met-ro lll will continue to work as acrucial lifeline of the city whenother modes of travel come to agrinding halt in the event of he-avy rain like the rain Mumbaihad to face last week,” said aspokesperson from MMRCL.
Some Area ToBe ‘Kept Open’For Trees: State
Aarey land: Metro mum oncommercial use and FSI
HOW GREEN LUNG OF THE CITY HAS SHRUNKABOUT METRO III
COST
LOAN FROM JAPAN
DISTANCE
STATIONS
`23,136cr
`13,325cr
`35km
3,262
2087
27
Metro III will be un-derground between Colaba-Bandra- Seepz
Metro III announced in 2014
In Aug 2014, MMRDA given 30 hectares for Metro car shed
NGO Vanashakti moves HC against cutting of over 2,000 trees; court orders stay
In 2015, Vanashakti asks NGT to declare Aarey Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ)
In March 2016, govt allots another 3 hectares to Metro
Next month, CM says no alterna-tive to Aarey. NGO approaches NGTagainst handing over of three hectares as ESZ plea not decided
ESZ final notification issued on Dec 5, 2016
THE COLONY’SDIMINISHING COVER
WRANGLING OVER THE CAR SHED: A TIMELINE
SO WHERE DID THE SPACE GO?65 acres allotted to BMC
for a water complex
10 acres to Fisheries Institute in 1962
542 acres given for pro-jects, including slum rehab in 2009-13 (Aarey has 47 slum pockets)
329 acres for Film City
98 acres to Force One
190 acres for zoo
And now, 74 acres for the Metro III yard
acres when commissioned in 1949
acres left now
Spread overDec 29, 2016 | Govt invites objections/suggestions to change of land use of 30 hec-tares of Aarey land for metro car shed and commercial exploitation
Aug 1, 2017 | Shiv Sena-ruled BMC passes draft Develop-ment Plan 2034, rejects proposal to change land earmarked for metro car shed from NDZ to car shed
Aug 22 | Congress accuses CM Devendra Fadnavis of Rs 18,000 crore scam by exploit-ing Aarey car shed land
Fadnavis denies charge on the same day, issues clarifica-tion stating no commercial
exploitation, instead five hectares will be a perma-
nent green patch
Aug 24 | State urban devpt dept issues notification deleting
33 hectares from the NDZ
ums would be silent zones be-cause some people in the neigh-bouring flats are running cli-nics. Suggesting an entire citycould literally be covered by thedefinition of 100 metres aroundeducational, medical and reli-gious institutions, Mehta saidnear Churchgate there is a go-vernment law college so it wo-uld have to be a silent zone too.
The HC termed the recent2017 central amendment to theNoise Pollution Rules as “ex-fa-cie unconstitutional” as it vio-lates a citizen’s fundamentalright to life.
The controversial amend-ment, effected by the govern-ment of India, on August 10 tothe Noise Pollution (Regula-tion and Control) Rules, 2000,said no area can be a conside-red a silence zone unless notifi-ed by the state government.Maharashtra told the HC thatfollowing the amendment the-re are no silent zones.
But the three-judge benchof the HC said the state’s standnew rules offended Article 14(Right to Equality) as there isno nexus between the new ru-les and the object the rules so-
ught to achieve.The HC also faulted the
amended rules, pointing outthe Centre had not followed themandatory requirement un-der the Environment (Protec-tion) Act, 1986, to publish a draftamendment calling for objec-tions and suggestions from thepublic. Neither was any orderpassed for dispensing with theprocedure in public interest.
The HC declined the stateand Centre’s plea for a stay onits order on silence zones on thegrounds that it will lead to a lawand order situation.
COURT RULINGS ON NOISE POLLUTION PLEAS
LOUD SOUND AND ALL THE WORKS
SILENCE ZONES IN CITYFollowing an HC order, Mumbai had 1,537 silence zones which were
notified by the BMC in consultation with police and resident associations
August 2016 | HC’s final verdict comes on noise pollution pleas and said no religion can claim
fundamental right under Article 25 (Right to Religion) to use loudspeakers. It seeks noise-mapping in all cities in Maharashtra, broadened the scope of
enforcement to include traffic and construction noise, and urges stricter action in silence zones
August 10, 2017 | Centre introduces Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Amendment Rules 2017, which say an area can’t be considered a silence zone until and unless a specific declaration to that effect is made or issued by the state govt
August 16 | Matter comes up for scrutiny before the HC. Government says the amended law means there are no silence zones in city till govt
notifies them afresh
Aug 23 | HC says its August 2016 order will continue to operate unless challenged
Aug 24 | HC Chief Justice transfers matter to a specially constituted bench after state alleges bias against Justice Abhay Oka
Aug 27 | CJ withdraws transfer order. Full bench headed by Justice Oka constituted to hear challenges to
constitutional validity of Aug 10 amendment
Aug 29 | Centre tells HC it supports silence zones but it is for state government to notify them in view of the recent amendment
Sept 1 | Bench stays Aug 10 amendment. Refuses state plea to stay order, but stops prosecution for silence zone violations for 4 weeks to let state
challenge order
Sept 4 | Supreme Court stays HC order
NOISE POLLUTION NORMSThe Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules 2000, were passed on
February 24, 2000, giving six months for suggestions and objections
XOXOXO
Mumbai:The Supreme Court,staying the Bombay High Co-urt’s September 1 order on si-lent zones on Monday, seemedto agree with the governmentcounsel that there cannot be avacuum.
CU Singh, counsel for Awa-az, a Mumbai-based NGO foun-ded by activist Sumaira Abdu-lali, said the SC has no cause tostay the HC order when it itselfhad stayed its effect till Octoberand no prosecution for soundpollution could take place tillthen. SC bench asked Singhwhat would be the effect of astay and said it would have toconsider the issue. “These si-lent zones have been in forcesince 2003 after the HC order ina PIL,” said Singh. There areover 1,500 such silent zones inMumbai which had been resto-red pursuant to the stay orderby the HC on September 1.
A full Bombay HC bench ofJustices Abhay Oka, AnoopMohta and Riyaz Chagla, cons-tituted after the state versus ju-diciary face-off last month, hadheard pleas challenging theconstitutional validity of theAugust 10 amendment to thenoise pollution rules. While theHC bench had posted the nexthearing in October, the SC saidit hoped now that they are sei-zed of the matter “we expectHC will not pass any further in-terim order”.
The SC issued notices toMaharashtra State and the ori-ginal PIL petitioner in the mat-ter and posted it for hearing onSeptember 22.
Tushar Mehta, additionalsolicitor-general who appearedfor the Centre, pointed out thedefinition of educational insti-tutions and hospitals is wide.For instance, even a tuition orgymnasium or playground wo-uld fall under definition of edu-cational institution and even aclinic, dental clinic would be ahospital, around which a 100-metre zone would be a silent zo-ne under the HC decision.
Mehta said the famous Bra-bourne and Wankhede stadi-
SC SchedulesNext HearingFor Sept 22
The Aurangabad bench ofHC said the minister“has done a disservice to
the state as a laudable cause (ofprotecting interest of generalpublic under Essential Com-modities Act) stands defeatedby such orders”, while quas-hing and setting aside the mi-nister’s order and restoring or-ders passed by the DSO and de-puty commissioner. Thebench also observed, “Today,in yet another case in the mat-ter of Digambar Karbhari Hu-se vs the State and others inWP No 10343/2017, I have obser-ved that the same Hon’ble Mi-nister has passed a shockingorder on August 10, 2017 whichis against the law laid down bythis court in Savitri Chandra-kesh Pal vs State of Maharash-tra and others in 2009.”
In August 2013, a case ofcheating, criminal breach oftrust and offences punishableunder the EC Act was registe-red against the Beed self-helpgroup, Savitribai Phule Mahi-la Bachat Gat, for using a bo-
gus identity and permit to liftfoodgrains from the state go-down despite its licence ha-ving been suspended for vario-us irregularities. The case isstill pending trial.
Bapat had justified his or-der to restore the licence onthe sole ground that unlessproven guilty, the group deser-ved an opportunity to conductbusiness. The bench held thiswas “squarely in opposition”to HC’s observations in a 2013ruling in a similar case of res-toration of fair price shop li-cence, wherein it was held thatthe minister ought to have con-
sidered reasons and objects ofthe EC Act and applied hismind before reaching a con-clusion.
“It cannot be debated thatunless an offence is proved, aperson cannot be held guilty.However, the Hon’ble Ministercould not have lost sight of theintent and object of the intro-duction of the EC Act which isto provide for, in the interest ofthe general public, control ofproduction, supply and distri-bution of trade and commercein commodities which are spe-cified in the Act,” the bench sa-id.
Bapat’s action goes against2013 HC ruling, says bench
A farmer from Beed, Rajendra Devidas Kate (43), had first lodged a complaint against Chandrakala Babasaheb Lavhale, who heads the Savitribai Phule self-help group, alleging irregularities in operation of a fair price shop in Beed
The licence was suspended. Food minister Girish Bapat is
accused of restoring it
In August 2013, a case of cheating and criminal breach of trust was registered
against the self-help group
for using a bogus identity and permit to lift foodgrains from the state godown though its licence had been suspended
The case is still pending trial
THE CASE SO FAR�From P 1
Nagpur: Two days after BJPMP Nana Patole questionedthe working style of CM De-vendra Fadnavis, party MLAAshish Deshmukh on Mon-day kicked up a storm when hepublicly gave “good wishes” torural development ministerPankaja Munde and hoped shebecame “the first woman chiefminister of the state”.
“Maharashtra is a pro-gressive state and I hope Pan-kaja-tai becomes its CM. Muchto her advantage, she belongsto the Bahujan Samaj (back-ward class) too,” said Desh-mukh, a Maratha and first-ti-me BJP MLA from Katol. Hewas addressing a conventionof women’s self-help groups inhis constituency in Nagpurdistrict, and Munde was thechief guest. Munde seemed toaccept Deshmukh’s wishes
while bowing in the directionof Ganesha’s idol placed in anenclosure nearby.
Munde was unavailablefor comment later, but Desh-mukh told TOI, “It was a con-vention on women’s empower-ment. A speaker before me,BJP’s district unit presidentRajeev Potdar, spoke of howPM Modi had taken a step forwomen’s empowerment by ap-pointing Nirmala Sithara-man as defence minister. Con-
tinuing the thread, I wishedPankaja-tai good luck to beCM at the opportune time,” sa-id Deshmukh.
Coming in the wake of theattack mounted by Patole, BJPMP from Bhandara-Gondia,Deshmukh’s utterance pointsto rumblings in the BJP. Patolebecame the first party leaderto speak publicly against Modiwhen he said the PM does notlike anyone questioning hisactions.
Want Pankaja to be state’sfirst woman CM: BJP MLA
[email protected] WHAT JR MUNDE SAID IN 2015
Pankaja Munde had said in May 2015 that people wanted
to see her occupy the top post in the state.
“I do not know if I will become the
chief
minister. But whenever I attend a function, people feel that had ‘saheb’ (her father, late BJP leader Gopinath Munde) been alive, he would definitely have become the chief minister. This is the feeling people have towards him,” Munde had told a gathering in Pune
Mumbai: The Bombay highcourt on Monday directed thestate govern-ment to file anaffidavit wit-hin three we-eks listingwhat it has do-ne on a repre-sentation filed by Anjali Da-mania in November 10, 2016,which sought an investiga-tion into alleged illegal amas-sing of wealth and over 75properties by Eknath Khadsewhen he was a minister in theBJP-led state government.
Milind Sathe, appearingfor Khadse’s son-in-law anddaughter, argued that therewas no basis to the PIL andthat their ITR had disclosedtheir sources and assets.
Khadse’s counsel DariusKhambata argued that thePIL was a motivated one andthat the petitioners were poli-
tical activists opposed toKhadse, including Damaniafrom the AAP and a Shiv Senaactivist from Jalgaon.
Khambata also said thatDamania had filed a repre-sentation on November 10and filed the PIL within a fewdays.
Khambata said she shouldhave first gone to the police orthe magistrate and exhaus-ted her remedies under thecriminal justice system befo-re filing a PIL.
He also said that Damaniahad suppressed criminal ca-ses of defamation that werefiled against her.
Damania’s counsel MihirDesai pointed out that shewas no longer with the AAPand had left the party in 2014.
He said she had been cam-paigning against corruptionfor the last many years.
He also argued that in herPIL against Kripa ShankarSingh, former city unit chiefof the Congress, and mem-bers of his family in a case ofdisproportionate assets, thehigh court had ordered an in-vestigation, and so in this ca-se too the court ought to orderan investigation.
HC asks statewhat it did on
charges againstex-min Khadse
CORRUPTION PIL
Picture for representation only
With clinics around, even Wankhedewould have to be silence zone: Centre