Opposition MLAs protest against Nawab Malik on Monday. (Ganesh Shirsekar)Mumbai News: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Monday urged the Bombay High Court to dismiss the habeas corpus petition filed by Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik challenging his arrest, saying his arrest was according to the law. This came after Malik was sent to 14-day judicial custody by a special PMLA court in Mumbai.
The BJP has said it will hold a massive protest march on March 9 in Mumbai to demand the resignation of NCP minister Malik. Party workers will start the march from Jeejamata Chowk in Byculla and end it at Azad Maidan.
On the weather front, the first pre-monsoon rainfall is predicted in 18 districts across the state on March 8 and 9. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert in districts of the Konkan, Western Maharashtra and Vidarbha regions. Light rainfall is also forecast for Mumbai on Tuesday and Wednesday and temperatures will stay above normal in the city.
BMC headquarters. (File)
The Income Tax (IT) department on Tuesday conducted searches on premises linked to Shiv Sena leader Rahul Kanal. This IT search is in connection with the alleged tax evasion by Yashwant Jadhav, chairman of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Jadhav was searched on Feb 25 and the IT department has found benami properties worth Rs 130 crore.
The BJP on Monday announced to hold a massive protest march to demand the resignation of NCP minister Nawab Malik for links with underworld Dawood Ibrahim. The event will take place on March 9.
Party workers will start the demonstration from Jeejamata Chowk in Bycullah and the demonstration will end at Azad Maidan in Mumbai.
Maharashtra on Monday reported 225 coronavirus cases, the lowest after April 18, 2020, and zero fatality, a health official said. With the fresh infections, the state's Covid-19 tally reached 78,69,038 and the toll to 1,43,740. On March 2 also Maharashtra had reported zero fatalities due to Covid-19.
The state had recorded 362 coronavirus cases and three fatalities on Sunday. "Maharashtra reported 225 daily covid-19 cases today, lowest since April 18, 2020, and zero fatalities," Maharashtra health surveillance officer Dr Pradip Awate said. Maharashtra is now left with 3,742 active cases. The total number of recoveries post Covid-19 infection in the state now stands at 77,17,823. The recovery rate in the state is 98.08 per cent, while the case fatality rate is 1.82 per cent, the state health department said.
Mumbai on Monday recorded 38 new Covid-19 cases, which took the tally to 10,56,956, while the death toll remained unchanged at 16,692, a civic official said. The dip comes a day after just 46 cases were recorded, the first time the daily addition to the tally in the metropolis had gone below 50 since April, 2020.
Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil on Monday said more than 2,600 cases related to sexual assault were pending with the state forensic laboratories. Responding to a question raised by Pradnya Satav in the Legislative Council, he said, as on January this year, a total of 1,619 cases related to sexual assault on children and 1,052 cases related to sexual assault on women were pending with state forensic laboratories.
Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil on Monday said Director General (law and order) will conduct a probe into police action against independent MLA Ravi Rana, in connection with an incident of ink thrown on the Amravati municipal commissioner by people angry over the removal of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj there last month.
Rana said in the state Assembly that the Amravati police had filed cases against him under IPC Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 353 (assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty) when he was in Delhi. He alleged that police had entered his house at 3 am and harassed his ailing parents and wife Navneet Rana, who is the Lok Sabha member from Amravati.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday submitted an affidavit before the Bombay High Court, opposing a Habeas Corpus plea filed by NCP Minister Nawab Malik, who was arrested last week in a case of alleged money laundering and “active involvement in terror funding” in connection to a 1999 land deal with don Dawood Ibrahim’s sister.
Malik was arrested by the ED on February 23 and was later remanded by a special court to the central agency’s custody. On Monday, a special court sent him to judicial custody till March 21. The ED did not seek his further custody.
In his Habeas Corpus (produce the person before court) plea, the NCP leader had claimed that his arrest was “illegal”, made with “political vendetta” and without following due process under the Code of Criminal Procedure. Senior advocate Amit Desai and advocates Taraq Sayed and Kushal Mor, appearing for Malik, had argued that he was arrested in connection to two sets of transactions, in which he was not involved.
A special PMLA court on Monday sent Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Nawab Malik Monday to judicial custody till March 21. The Enforcement Directorate is not seeking his further custody. Malik was arrested in a money laundering case on February 23 and sent to ED’s custody.