NCP leader and Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik was arrested on Wednesday. (PTI)Mumbai Live News and Updates: Ministers and legislators of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra commenced a protest near the Mantralaya on Thursday against the arrest of minister Nawab Malik, who spent the night in ED office after the central agency obtained his custody in a money laundering case. From February 25 onwards, workers of all three MVA parties will hold morchas in the state.
A special court here on Thursday allowed Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik’s plea seeking home food and medicines while in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The court also allowed his lawyer to be present within visible distance during interrogation.
Meanwhile, a special PMLA court here on Thursday sent Iqbal Kaskar, the brother of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, to 14-day judicial custody in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the activities of Ibrahim and his aides. The ED, which is conducting a money laundering probe into the underworld-linked property and hawala deals, had last Friday placed Kaskar under arrest. On Thursday, Kaskar was produced before special judge M G Deshpande at the end of his ED custody.
A committee of the Shiv Sena-controlled Mumbai civic body has decided to name a playground in suburban Malad after Rani Laxmibai, nearly a month after controversy erupted about it being allegedly named for Tipu Sultan.
The playground, located in Malwani area, was inaugurated by Maharashtra minister and local Congress MLA Aslam Shaikh on January 26, with a board displaying the name of the controversial ruler of the erstwhile Mysore state.
Workers of the BJP and some right-wing organizations had staged a huge protest, claiming that Tipu Sultan had persecuted Hindus and his name was not acceptable for a public facility. (PTI)
A special NDPS court here on Thursday rejected the bail plea of a suspected drug peddler arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in the drugs-on-cruise case.
Special judge V V denied bail to the accused Abdul Kadar Shaikh. A detailed order has not been made available yet.
The NCB had arrested at least 20 people, including Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan, in the drugs-on-cruise case. Most of them are currently out on bail. Shaikh was arrested by the NCB in October last year. (PTI)
Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil on Thursday said Minister Nawab Malik has no right to remain a part of the state cabinet following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his aides.
He said that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also has no moral right to remain in power as the situation in the state is 'extremely chaotic'. Patil made the statements here while participating in an agitation against Malik.
Malik (62) was arrested on Wednesday after being questioned for about five hours at the ED office in south Mumbai's Ballard Estate area and later produced before special judge R N Rokade, who remanded him in the ED custody till March 3. (PTI)
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday said the Maharashtra government is fully standing with minister Nawab Malik, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, and attacked the Centre for taking such steps to "defame" the government.
"The BJP government at the Centre has become furious after being ousted from power (in Maharashtra) and is taking such steps to defame the state government," he told the media during an interaction after a public meeting in Siddharth Nagar (UP).
"Nawab Malik is a minister and will remain a minister. The BJP is not God, let them do whatever they want. We will answer it at every level," Raut said. "The Maharashtra government is completely standing with Nawab Malik". (PTI)
A special court here on Thursday allowed Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik's plea seeking home food and medicines while in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The court also allowed his lawyer to be present within visible distance during interrogation.
Malik, a senior NCP leader, was arrested on Wednesday by the ED in an alleged money laundering case linked to the activities of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his aides.
After he was remanded in ED custody till March 3, Malik's lawyer had filed an application seeking home food and medicines for him. Special judge for the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) R N Rokade granted the plea. (PTI)
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday sought that the Bombay High Court dismiss a petition filed by poet Varavara Rao and two other activists, arrested in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, seeking a review of an earlier order of the HC that refused to grant them default bail.
The NIA in its affidavit said the accused were seeking the same prayer of default bail under the guise of review, and that it was an abuse of the process of law and sets a wrong precedent.
The probe agency filed its affidavit in response to a review petition filed by the three activists – Varavara Rao, Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves - challenging a previous order of the high court that refused to grant them default bail in the case. While Rao is currently out on medical bail, the other two activists are lodged in jail. (PTI)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday directed the administration to coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs to ensure safe return of students and others from Maharashtra who are stuck in Ukraine.
The chief minister expressed concern about the safety of people from the state visiting Ukraine for business and education, and asked the Chief Secretary to be in touch with the Central government, said a statement from Thackeray's office.
He also asked the officials to maintain contact with people from the state who are stranded in that country. (PTI)
A day after Nawab Malik’s arrest, Opposition leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Thursday said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government should seek the resignation of the NCP minister and any attempt to retain him in the cabinet would mean expressing solidarity with him.
Fadnavis said, “From whatever information has emerged, the MVA should ask Malik to resign from the cabinet. If MVA supports him, it will send the wrong message. It will be perceived as the MVA government is supporting the minister who has links with the underworld and serial bomb blast convicts. It would amount to MVA’s support to those who worked against the nation.” Read more
Mumbai police on Thursday transferred IPS officer Saurabh Tripathi from the post of DCP (Zone-2) and appointed him as DCP (Operations) as an "exceptional case" and "in the interest of public", an official said.
During his posting as DCP (Zone-2), three policemen in his zone were charged with extorting money, police said.
Tripathi will be replaced by IPS officer Shashikumar Meena as DCP (Zone-2) as additional charge, an official said. (PTI)
A special PMLA court here on Thursday sent Iqbal Kaskar, the brother of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, to 14-day judicial custody in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the activities of Ibrahim and his aides.
The Enforcement Directorate, which is conducting a money laundering probe into the underworld-linked property and hawala deals, had last Friday placed Kaskar under arrest after taking him custody from the Taloja jail neighbouring Navi Mumbai, where he was lodged in connection with multiple extortion cases against him.
On Thursday, Kaskar was produced before special judge M G Deshpande at the end of his ED custody. (PTI)
A day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Maharashtra Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik in a money laundering case, scores of BJP workers gathered in front of the Thane District Collector's office on Thursday and staged a protest seeking the resignation of the NCP strongman.
The NCP leader was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the money laundering case against underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his aides.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is searching three locations in Thane linked with alleged associates of Pravin Raut, an accused in the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank fraud.
The fresh searches are in connection with Raut’s investments in PACL Ltd, the company that has defrauded over five crore investors across India with a Ponzi scheme, sources told The Indian Express.
At least two dozen ED offcials from Delhi and Mumbai are carrying out searches on these premises, linked to two alleged associates of Pravin Raut. The agency , sources said, has found that Pravin Raut through his associates holds a Rs 1,000 crore land in Raigad that was transferred by PACL after it went bust. Khushboo Narayan reports
The Mumbai police on Wednesday shunted out deputy commissioner of police (DCP, zone-2) Saurabh Tripathi from his posting after three policemen in his zone were charged with extorting money from angadias (courier workers).
Tripathi has now been posted as DCP operations, considered a ‘side posting’, and DCP (local arms) Shashi Meena has been given additional charge of the zone. Read more
The Santacruz Police on Wednesday night registered a First Information Report against BJP leader Mohit Khamboj, who was allegedly wielding a sword in the air and gathered a crowd to celebrate the arrest of Nawab Malik by the Enforcement Directorate.
The incident took place at around 6 pm outside Khamboj’s residential building on VP road in Santacruz (West). A crowd of 60 BJP workers had gathered around his residence shouting slogans praising Shivaji Maharaj.
One of the workers then gave Khamboj a sword who pulled it out from its sheath and wielded it in the air. Read more
The City Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has granted extension for the online registration of mass housing scheme till March 24, an official said on Thursday.
The development authority has also extended the deadline for payment of fees and EMD amount and the computerised draw accordingly, he said.
“The CIDCO's Mass Housing Scheme 2022 has received an overwhelming response. The deadline for submission of the applications has been extended to allow sufficient time for submission of documents and payment of the EMD amount. This will give an added window to the citizens who are willing to apply.” Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, CIDCO. (PTI)
NCP workers staged a protest in Nagpur on Thursday against the arrest of their party leader and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.
Nagpur NCP chief Duneshwar Pethe and other party workers gathered at Sitabuldi square and shouted slogans against the BJP-led central government and the ED. Meanwhile, BJP workers burnt an effigy of Malik at the Jhansi Rani square and demanded his resignation.
The saffron party workers also burnt an effigy of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, whose party shares power with the Shiv Sena and NCP in Maharashtra. (PTI)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has demanded to make the streets of Mumbai beggars free. Party corporator Kamlesh Yadav has proposed that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) must take steps against beggars roaming in the city.
“The BMC has opened a shelter for the homeless in Kandivali. However, very few people are seen to be using the facility. There are many beggars roaming across the city. The BMC must shift them to the Kandivali facility and take measures to reform the beggars,” said Yadav.
The Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations of the Maharashtra State Board, scheduled to be held on March 5 and 7, are likely to be postponed, said officials. This comes after the question papers for these days were up in flames Wednesday morning when a truck carrying them caught fire near the Sangamner Ghat in Ahmednagar district.
“These were question papers for one of the total nine divisions. Reprinting would have been an option if there were enough days left for the exam. More so, the question paper bundles have to be opened in front of students at the exam centres and the fire has compromised it. A new set of question papers will have to be printed for all the divisions now, which will take time,” said Sharad Gosavi, Chairperson of the Maharashtra State Board.
Gosavi added that the board will provide more clarity on the examinations Thursday.
The Enforcement Directorate has summoned NCP leader Nawab Malik's brother Kaptan Malik in connection with the money laundering case.
The ED has not sought further custody of Iqbal Kaskar, Dawood Ibrahim's brother, who was arrested in the money laundering case. He has now been sent to judicial custody.
Senior Shiv Sena leader and state minister Subhash Desai, Sena legislators Manisha Kayande, Vilas Potnis, Sunil Raut, Yamini Jadhav and others joined the protest near Mantralaya against the arrest of Nawab Malik.
Earlier, when Sena leaders had not joined the protest, NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal told reporters, "Since it was decided not to hold cabinet meeting this week, some Sena ministers have gone to Uttar Pradesh and some have gone to Konkan for a yatra. But, the Sena leaders will be joining the protest. Yesterday, we held meeting with CM Uddhav Thackeray. Also, senior Sena minister Subhash Desai was present when we addressed media after meeting with CM. So, Sena is with us and their leaders will be joining the protest soon."