Latest news with #Somaiya
Time of India
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Verdict shocking, will appeal, says CM; oppn questions govt
Mumbai: CM expressed shock at the Bombay high court verdict quashing the conviction of all 12 accused in the 11/7 train blasts case. "The Bombay HC decision is very shocking. We will challenge it in the Supreme Court," he said. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Fadnavis said, "The lower court gave a verdict, and in 2006, after the blasts, the ATS caught the accused, collected evidence and presented it before the courts. I have not read the full (HC) judgement, but I discussed it with the lawyers and informed them it must be challenged in Supreme Court. We will go to SC at the earliest," he said. BJP's Kirit Somaiya, who has been advocating for the train blasts survivors, said the CM had assured him the state would appeal. "We are all shocked and pained by the verdict. I have spoken to CM Fadnavis. He has assured us the govt will seek help of top legal experts and an appeal will be filed as soon as possible," said Somaiya, who had taken a group of survivors to meet additional chief secretary (CMO) I S Chahal in Mantralaya on Monday. "The lower court had awarded death sentence. But there must have been some shortcomings in the investigation conducted in 2006. I am convinced SC will give us justice," Somaiya added. Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said, "We will be looking into the basis on which they have been acquitted and whether additional proof was required. We will look into the possibility of an appeal after consulting the CM." Food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal said, "We will have to carefully look into where the prosecution fell short and what was missing. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now After that, we could go to SC." Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora said on X, "As a Mumbaikar, I cannot accept the verdict... In 2006, I was an MP from Mumbai and went and saw what happened in that terrorist attack. I appeal to the Maharashtra government that they should involve the best lawyers and appeal against the verdict as soon as possible." Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad said on X, "Victims of the Mumbai train blasts must get justice. The Chief Minister should urgently intervene in this matter. An appeal must be filed in the SC." She added, "I think the Maharashtra govt may not have done what we expected in terms of the collection of evidence or appointment of the public prosecutor." Rohit Pawar from NCP (SP) said, "We will have to look at why the court gave this decision and whether the evidence fell short. Did the state govt fall short in presenting its position?" Shiv Sena's Sanjay Nirupam said, "The order is very unfortunate and essentially says none of those arrested were responsible. The question is – then who orchestrated the blasts? Was there anything lacking in the work done by the probe agency?"
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Train blasts verdict shocking, will move SC, says Fadnavis
CM Devendra Fadnavis, Mumbai train blast (file photo) MUMBAI: CM Devendra Fadnavis expressed shock at the Bombay HC verdict quashing conviction of all 12 accused in the 11/7 train blasts case. 'Bombay HC decision is very shocking. We will challenge it in Supreme Court,' he said. Speaking to the media in Mumbai late on Monday Devendra Fadnavis said, 'The lower court gave a verdict, and in 2006, after the blasts, ATS caught the accused, collected evidence and presented it before the courts. I have not read the full (HC) judgment, but I discussed it with the lawyers and informed them it must be challenged in Supreme Court. We will go to SC at the earliest,' he Kirit Somaiya, who has been advocating for the train blasts survivors, said the CM had assured him that the state would appeal against the verdict. 'We are all shocked and pained by the verdict. I have spoken to CM Fadnavis. He has assured us the govt will seek help of top legal experts and an appeal will be filed as soon as possible,' said Somaiya, who had taken a group of survivors to meet additional chief secretary Iqbal Singh Chahal in Mantralaya Monday. 'The lower court had awarded the death sentence. But there must have been some shortcomings in the investigation conducted in 2006. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo I am convinced SC will give us justice,' Somaiya added. Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora said on X, 'As a Mumbaikar, I cannot accept the verdict of HC. In 2006, I was an MP from Mumbai and went and saw what happened in that terrorist attack. I appeal to Maharashtra govt that they should involve the best lawyers and appeal against the verdict as soon as possible.' Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad said on X, 'Victims of the the train blasts must get justice. The CM should urgently intervene in this matter. An appeal must be filed in SC.' She added, 'I think Maharashtra govt may not have done what we expected in terms of collection of evidence or appointment of public prosecutor.' Rohit Pawar from NCP (SP) said, 'We will have to look at why HC gave this decision and whether the evidence fell short. Did state govt fall short in presenting its position?'
News18
17-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
As Mumbai Mutes Loudspeakers, ‘Secular' Politicians Back Errant Mosques
Last Updated: Islam's self-appointed political guardians are religiously rooting for the noise nuisance to return Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiya is fighting a two-and-a-half-front war. He has been relentlessly campaigning against illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants living in Mumbai. More recently, he has been on a drive to shut down thousands of loudspeakers, unregistered and playing at rule-breaking decibel levels, mostly from mosques. After his campaign, the Mumbai police removed more than 1,500 illegal loudspeakers overwhelmingly from masjids but also a few mandirs and gurdwaras in just three months. 'We initiated a campaign after the Mumbai High Court issued directives about the use of such speakers. Almost 99 per cent masjids had never obtained or applied for loudspeaker permission till the High Court order," Somaiya said. But after the police action, more than 600 masjids and their trustees have applied for permission. Somaiya's half-front war is against his party's own allies in the NDA, like Ajit Pawar, who has assured Muslim groups that their loudspeakers would not fall silent and Somaiya would be reined in. But Kirit Somaiya is not playing. Never before have Mumbai's Islamists faced such a daunting resistance to their single-minded focus on capturing more and more physical space and marking territory by decibels. Observing that the use of loudspeakers is not an essential part of any religion, the Bombay High Court on January 25 directed the Maharashtra government to prepare in-built mechanisms to control decibel levels in loudspeakers, public address systems, and other sound-emitting gadgets used at places of worship and religious institutions. The court asked the Mumbai police to crack down hard on violators. It told the state to seriously consider issuing directives to the police for calibration and auto-fixation of decibel limits of loudspeakers or public address systems used at such places. The Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, allow noise levels up to 55 decibels during the day and 45 dB at night in residential areas. Noise from loudspeakers can vary between 75 and 200 dB. Celebrities like Sonu Nigam and Suchitra Krishnamoorthi have complained about azaan being beamed over ear-splitting loudspeakers five times a day. Uttar Pradesh has successfully taken down or muted more than a lakh loudspeakers. After the Bombay HC order, the Mumbai police issued a notice on May 11 directing all religious sites to give up loudspeakers. 'Any stakeholders interested in installing loudspeakers would then have to acquire a license, granted after providing documents such as property cards, legal construction proofs, and waqf registration papers," the order read. But Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar met a cross-party coalition of Muslim leaders on June 25, warned the police to follow due process, and urged Somaiya to stop what he says is a 'smear campaign" against noisy mosques. The Muslim coalition has NCP state president Nawab Malik, party leaders Zeeshan Siddique, Sana Malik, and Syed Jalaluddin, Samajwadi Party state president Abu Asim Azmi, and AIMIM national spokesperson Waris Pathan. But Mumbaikars, even many Muslims, seem happy. 'I stay hardly 200 metres away from a couple of mosques at Kurla Pipe Road. I don't see any decrease in the number of devotees in mosques after azaan stopped being amplified through loudspeakers. This is a relief and should be welcomed," a local practising Muslim, Mohammed Tarique, is quoted as telling The Times of India. Many mosques took down the loudspeakers on their own. Khursheed Siddiqui, general secretary, Masjid and Madrassa Mohammadiya in Vikhroli, reportedly called a meeting of elders to explain to them that loudspeakers were not required to amplify Allah's message. They agreed. But Islam's self-appointed political guardians are religiously rooting for the noise nuisance to return, never mind that seventh-century Arabia did not even know the ear trumpet, let alone the loudspeaker. view comments 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.
Time of India
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
BJP leader Kirit Somaiya protests police action against duped aviation students in Thane; over 20 lured with airport jobs
THANE: BJP leader Kirit Somaiya and Thane MP Naresh Mhaske visited Naupada police station on Wednesday to protest against FIRs filed against students of a private aviation institute. The students had earlier staged a protest in June, alleging fraud by the institute's management. The controversy involves over 20 students from Mumbai and Thane, who were allegedly cheated by a bogus aviation training institute. Students were charged between Rs 80,000 and Rs 1 lakh with promises of airport jobs as ground staff or cabin crew, offering salaries ranging from Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000 per month. However, according to the FIR, the students claimed they received only theoretical training, with no job placements or refunds. Following the complaints, police registered a case against three persons for cheating, breach of trust, and criminal conspiracy. An 18-year-old woman is among the complainants. In retaliation, one of the accused filed a counter-FIR, accusing former BJP corporator Sanjay Waghule and 36 others, including students, of assault during a protest held earlier this week. Somaiya and Mhaske condemned the counter-action and demanded its withdrawal, urging strict action against the institute's operators. 'The real culprits must face action, not the victims. The erring cops should also face action,' Somaiya said.
Time of India
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
MP, ex-MP protests police action against aviation students in Thane
Thane: BJP neta and former MP Kirit Somaiya and Thane MP Naresh Mhaske visited Naupada police station on Wednesday to oppose FIRs filed against students of a private aviation institute, who earlier protested over alleged fraud by the management in June. The controversy involves over 20 students from Mumbai and Thane who were allegedly cheated by a bogus aviation training institute. Students were charged between Rs 80,000 and Rs 1 lakh with promises of airport jobs as ground staff or cabin crew, offering salaries of Rs 40,000–60,000 per month. However, the students claim they only received theoretical training with no placements or refunds, the FIR registered states. Following complaints, police registered a case against three persons for cheating, breach of trust, and conspiracy. An 18-year-old woman is among the complainants. In retaliation, one of the accused filed a counter-FIR accusing the former BJP corporator Sanjay Waghule and 36 others, including students, of assault during a protest earlier this week. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai Somaiya and Mhaske condemned the counter-action, demanding its withdrawal and firm steps against the accused institute operators. "The real culprits must face action, not the victims. The erring cops should also face action," Somaiya said.
