Latest news with #BombayHighCourt
Scroll.in
an hour ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Rush Hour: India and UK sign free trade deal, SC stays 2006 Mumbai blasts acquittal order and more
We're building a brand-new studio to bring you bold ground reports, sharp interviews, hard-hitting podcasts, explainers and more. Support Scroll's studio fund today. India and the United Kingdom has signed a Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement. The free trade agreement will benefit Indian farmers, the micro, small and medium enterprises sector, footwear and jewellery exports, as well as the seafood and engineering goods sectors, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the trade deal would help British workers in cutting-edge manufacturing, and would also benefit whiskey distillers across Scotland and the service sector in London, Manchester and Leeds. The free trade agreement was signed by Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and his British counterpart Jonanthan Reynolds during Modi's visit to the UK. New Delhi and Britain had announced the agreement in May after more than three years and 14 rounds of negotiations. Read on. The Supreme Court has stayed a Bombay High Court order acquitting 12 persons accused in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case. However, it said that those who were released following the verdict will not have to go back to jail while the matter is being heard. The case pertains to the seven bomb blasts in suburban trains on Mumbai's Western Railway line on July 11, 2006, killing 189 persons and injuring 824. Following a trial under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, a special court had in October 2015 convicted the 12 persons. However, on Monday, the High Court acquitted all of them holding that the prosecution had 'utterly failed' in establishing their guilt. Five of the accused persons had been sentenced to death. The Maharashtra government challenged the acquittal on Tuesday. . The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a contempt petition against Assam's chief secretary and Goalpara district authorities for alleged violations of its earlier guidelines during eviction and demolition drives that took place last month. The bench sought the responses of the officials within two weeks. The contempt plea was filed by eight residents of Hasilabeel village in Goalpara who claimed that that authorities issued eviction notices to the resident of the area just two days before razing their homes last month. The petition relied on a Supreme Court judgement from November that held as illegal the practice of demolishing properties of persons accused of crimes as a punitive measure. It added that processes must be followed before removing allegedly illegal encroachments. Between 2016 and August 2024, more than 10,620 families – the majority of them Muslim – have been evicted from government land, according to data provided by the state revenue and disaster management department. Read on. The Enforcement Directorate conducted raids at over 35 premises and searched 50 companies and 25 persons as part of its money-laundering investigation linked to industrialist Anil Ambani's Reliance Group companies. The investigation is based on two cases filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation in September 2022. The first information reports pertained to two separate loans given by the crisis-hit Yes Bank to Reliance Home Finance Limited and Reliance Commercial Finance Limited. It has been alleged that loans of around Rs 3,000 crore received by the companies from the bank between 2017 and 2019 were illegally diverted This comes days after the Union government told Parliament that the State Bank of India had classified Reliance Communications and Ambani, its promoter-director, as 'fraud'.
News18
an hour ago
- Politics
- News18
'Innocent People Were Also Trapped': Ajit Pawar After SC's Stay On Mumbai Blasts Case Order
Last Updated: Deputy CM Ajit Pawar reacted to the Supreme Court's verdict on the 2006 Mumbai train blasts, stressing no innocent should be punished. The state will appeal the release. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday reacted to the Supreme Court's verdict in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case, saying, 'Some innocent people were also trapped in this case, no innocent should be punished, and no guilty should be let off. The comment has raised eyebrows, given that the state government has challenged the Bombay High Court's decision to let off all 12 accused in the case in the Supreme Court. 'We cannot say much about the Supreme Court's order. Some innocent people were also trapped in this case… We believe no one should face injustice… But those who are guilty must be punished… We are not against anyone… But we do not support anyone either," NDTV quoted Pawar as saying. 'The government has decided to appeal against the Bombay High Court's verdict… Our Chief Minister had made the stance clear… We will present good lawyers in the Supreme Court and identify the shortcomings in the High Court proceedings," Ajit Pawar has said. Deputy CM Eknath Shinde also praised the top court's judgement in the matter, saying that, 'Not a single accused in this series of bomb blasts, which claimed the lives of 190 Mumbaikars, will go free. They will be sent to the gallows. The state government will not rest until the guilty are severely punished." He thanked the Supreme Court for the decision and congratulated CM Devendra Fadnavis and the concerned administrative officials. 'Congratulations also to Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, who represented the government's side," he wrote in a post on X. The apex court on Thursday put the High Court's decision on freeze, but did not bar the release of the accused. The court clarified that the High Court's judgment will not serve as a precedent in cases under MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act), the state's law targeting terrorism and organised crime. The Bombay High Court had overturned the special court's judgment in the train blasts case in which five of the 12 accused were sentenced to death and the rest were given life imprisonment. One of the accused on death row died in 2021. The group included individuals from various professions, such as a former call centre employee, a seller of Unani medicines, a software engineer, a key maker and a chicken seller. Notably, many of them were allegedly linked to the banned organisation SIMI and were accused of receiving training in Pakistan and providing logistical support to terrorists from the country. The Bombay High Court ordered their release, citing that the case relied on coerced confessions and unreliable witness testimonies. The court also said the material evidence, which included recovered material and explosives, was 'vulnerable to tampering" and hence inadmissible. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
NDTV
2 hours ago
- Politics
- NDTV
"No Innocent Should Be Punished": Ajit Pawar's Big Statement On Train Blast
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, speaking today on the Supreme Court verdict in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case, said "some innocent people were also trapped in this case". "No innocent should be punished, and no guilty should be let off," he added. The comment has raised eyebrows, given the state government has challenged the Bombay High Court's decision to let off all 12 accused in the case in the Supreme Court. The top court today put the High Court's decision on freeze, but did not bar the release of the accused. The court also said that the High Court's judgment will not be considered as a precedent in cases filed under the state's anti-terror and anti-organised crime law MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act). "We cannot say much about the Supreme Court's order. Some innocent people were also trapped in this case... We believe no one should face injustice... But those who are guilty must be punished... We are not against anyone... But we do not support anyone either," Mr Pawar told reporters shortly after the top court made its decision. "The government has decided to appeal against the Bombay High Court's verdict... Our Chief Minister had made the stance clear... We will present good lawyers in the Supreme Court and identify the shortcomings in the High Court proceedings," Ajit Pawar has said. Many have concluded that the Deputy Chief Minister's comment construes a deviation - however tiny - from the government's stance in the case. And ahead of the elections to the cash-rich Brihanmumbai corporation, it has assumed significance. Mr Pawar had also suggested a short-cut to non-Marathi people caught in the crosshairs of the language row - another deviation that has raised eyebrows. "The language of the state you live in should be respected... From Maharashtra to Jammu and Kashmir, everyone should be proud of their mother tongue... But what is going on in the name of language at present... People living here who do not know Marathi -- they should say politely that 'We do not know Marathi, we are learning it'. If you say this, then there will be no problem," he has said. The Bombay High Court had overturned the special court's judgment in the train blasts case in which five of the 12 accused were sentenced to death and the rest were given life imprisonment. One of the accused on death row died in 2021. Among the rest were a former call centre employee, a seller of unani medicines, a software engineer, a key maker and chicken seller. Many of them were allegedly connected to banned organisation SIMI. They were accused of receiving training in Pakistan and helping terrorists from Pakistan with logistics. While ordering the release, the Bombay High Court had said that the case against them was based on coerced confessions and testimonies from unreliable witnesses. The court also said the material evidence - which included recovered material and explosives - were "vulnerable to tampering" and hence inadmissible.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
Bombay HC directs new development plan, prompt steps to improve infrastructure and regulate development in Lonavala-Khandala region
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the Lonavala Municipal Council and the state govt to prepare new development plan, take prompt steps to augment and improve the infrastructural facilities in the Lonavala-Khandala region. This includes the provision of water supply, solid waste management, sewerage, stormwater drainage systems, maintenance, repairs, and widening of roads. The court also directed the council to act against unauthorised constructions within its jurisdiction in Lonavala. The High Court directed that the municipal council must publicise its grievance redressal mechanism and, along with the state formulate a fresh set of Development Control Regulations for the twin-hillstations. This is to ensure that new constructions in the region are carried out strictly in accordance with the infrastructural facilities, the HC bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne directed while disposing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Lonavala Khandala Citizens Forum and applications filed by others. "If the ecology of the region is not protected, the whole charm of the Lonavala-Khandala region would be lost," the judgment authored by Justice Marne observed. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Do you have a mouse? Desert Order Undo It added that measures must be adopted so "that the ecology of the hill towns is maintained and is not destroyed by uncontrolled development coupled with a lack of requisite infrastructure." You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai The PIL, filed in 2007, sought to highlight the plight of the local residents of the Lonavala-Khandala region and aimed at improving the civic amenities and regulating the construction activities in the region, the High Court noted. It sought to highlight activities occurring in the Lonavala-Khandala region that put a huge strain on infrastructural facilities like water supply, sewerage, solid waste management, roads, and traffic. The twin hill stations, one of the most popular weekend getaways, are fast losing their charm due to rapid urbanisation and tourism. The High Court observed, "As the weekend getaway became more and more popular, with the number of tourists on a given monsoon weekend crossing two lakh, garbage heaps and blocked drainages became a regular feature of the otherwise scenic paradise, which started getting marred by uncontrolled constructions and lack of basic civic amenities. " It noted that the PIL and proactive citizens sought to highlight how authorities "have abandoned duties of proper civic governance, which is in violation of the Right to Life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, which includes the Right to a Clean and Healthy Environment." Noting the "alarming situation," the PIL highlighted that the High Court passed various interim orders in 2007, and in 2008, a report submitted in court pointed to lacunas on the part of the civic administration over infrastructural aspects. Following an order of April 2014, a new mechanism was created under which all proposals received by the Municipal Council in respect of large-scale developments were directed to be examined by an expert committee. The High Court, after a detailed hearing and analysing the four main issues of requisite infrastructure, action under unauthorised constructions, controlling new construction, and necessary regulations to govern development in the region, directed that it would also be open to the state govt to consider the inclusion of the Lonavala-Khandala region in the list of hill stations for the purpose of applicability of Special Regulations. The petitioner would be at liberty to make a representation to the state govt for that purpose.
India Today
2 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
Don't let Lonavala-Khandala lose charm: Court warns against unchecked development
The Bombay High Court has stressed the urgent need to protect the fragile ecology of Lonavala and Khandala, warning that the region's natural charm could be lost to unregulated development and inadequate infrastructure. While disposing of a long-pending PIL filed in 2007, the Court ordered that civic issues in the twin hill stations continue to be monitored, underscoring the importance of sustainable planning in ecologically sensitive the ecology of the region is not protected, the whole charm of the Lonavala-Khandala region would be lost. Therefore, necessary measures are required to be adopted to ensure that the ecology of the hill towns is maintained and is not destroyed by uncontrolled development coupled with lack of requisite infrastructure," the Bombay High Court bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne was hearing a number of petitions seeking that the state government be directed to include the Lonavala-Khandala region in the list of hill stations to ensure that the development activities in the region do not destroy its ecology. The bench, however, said that "this would lie in the realm of policy decisions, into which this Court would be loathe to enter." Senior advocate Fredun DeVitre, appearing for the petitioners, argued that despite being part of the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats, Lonavala's civic body failed to uphold its basic responsibilities under Article 21 of the Constitution, the Right to Life and Clean petition sought directions to implement waste and sewage plans, demolish illegal structures, and regulate future construction based on hydrological and infrastructure petitions were filed over a decade ago and directed the formation of an expert committee in 2014 to scrutinise new development petitioners accepted that the expert committee appointed by the Court and the municipal council have been working in tandem for the last decade, to ensure that all large projects are permitted only after ensuring that adequate infrastructure is available in the region. It is accepted that some progress has been made on the infrastructural front in the bench, after hearing all parties, said, "At some stage, the municipal council and the state government need to put a proper infrastructural framework in place to ensure maintenance of the ecology of the region."The bench expressed trust and hope that the Lonavala-Khandala Municipal Council will fulfil its statutory duties by providing the necessary infrastructure for water and sanitation, and take prompt action against unauthorised constructions."The broad objective behind proper town planning is to satisfy the needs of future generations and to prevent the haphazard growth of urban agglomerations. While making a development plan with respect to a city, town or a region, a balancing act is performed to ensure that the aspirations of residents for better housing are balanced with the available infrastructure. When it comes to ecologically sensitive areas, the town planning norms must have regard to the special environmental needs of the region," the bench bench noted that since Lonavala Municipal Council is in the process of preparing of new development plan, the existing mechanism of processing of development proposals through Court appointed expert committee can continue to operate till the new development plan and the new Development Control Regulations are sanctioned by the state government."This would ensure that uncontrolled development based on existing dated DCRs does not occur during the gap period," the bench noted.- EndsTune InMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Maharashtra#Mumbai
