Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, in its plea, has challenged disqualification proceedings initiated against them under the constitutional scheme. (File photo)Mumbai News Updates (July 20): The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the petitions filed by the Shiv Sena and its rebel MLAs raise many constitutional questions which require consideration by a larger bench. A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana directed the parties to formulate issues which require examination by a larger bench by July 27. “After hearing the counsels it has been agreed that some issues may, if necessary, be referred to a larger bench also. Keeping in mind the same, to enable the parties to frame the issues, let them file the same preferably by next Wednesday,” the bench also comprising Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli said.
The Enforcement Directorate has issued fresh summons to Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut to appear before it for questioning on Wednesday in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the re-development of a Mumbai ‘chawl’ and related transactions involving his wife and ‘associates’, officials said. The Rajya Sabha MP, who is in the Uddhav Thackeray camp, had denied any wrongdoing and alleged that he was being targeted due to political vendetta. Raut has been asked to depose at the agency’s regional office in Mumbai. (PTI)
In other news, Crops across nearly 1.35 lakh hectares of land have been damaged due to floods in several parts of Vidarbha region, said Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who visited the flood-hit districts of Wardha and Chandrapur on Tuesday. Farmers are likely to incur additional financial burden due to incessant rain in the last seven days, he said.
NCP leader Ajit Pawar with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. (Twitter @AjitPawarSpeaks)
Elections to local governing bodies can be held now with OBC quota in Maharashtra with the Supreme Court giving its nod on Wednesday, deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said here.
The state government, however, has requested the State Election Commission (SEC) not to schedule elections immediately as many parts of Maharashtra have been affected by heavy rains, the BJP leader told reporters.
Earlier, the apex court had set aside the quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in local elections in Maharashtra for lack of empirical data about their populations.
"The Supreme Court today accepted the state backward class commission's report for OBC reservation. It has given permission to allot OBC reservations as per the commission's report," Fadnavis claimed. (PTI)
A Mumbai Police team on July 14 arrested a burglar from Uttar Pradesh after chasing him inside a farm in Bijnor. The accused and his aide, who was arrested from Delhi, had come to Mumbai to commit a theft at an apartment in Malad (west) and on June 22 had returned to their hometowns. (Read More)
The state prison authority Wednesday told the Bombay High Court that it cannot allow Gautam Navlakha, an accused in the Elgaar Parishad case booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), to make telephone calls from the prison as per the existing rules. It said that he is permitted to have physical meetings with lawyers and his kin as per law or write letters to them. (Read More)
The state prison authority Wednesday told the Bombay High Court that it cannot allow Gautam Navlakha, an accused in the Elgaar Parishad case booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), to make telephone calls from the prison as per the existing rules. It said that he is permitted to have physical meetings with lawyers and his kin as per law or write letters to them. (Read More)
Both ruling and Opposition parties in Maharashtra welcomed the Supreme Court order that accepted the Jayant Banthia commission report and directed reservation be provided for Other Backward Classes in local body polls.
“The Supreme Court has accepted OBC reservation in local body polls. We are the soldiers of Balasaheb Thackeray who never backtrack on a given word,” said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “This is the victory of the entire OBC community. The welfare of OBCs, bahujans and the poor is our agenda and will remain so. I thank all who were part of the process.” (Read More)
The Mumbai police have arrested four persons for allegedly trying to cheat a BJP MLA from Maharashtra's Pune district by offering a cabinet berth to him in the newly-formed government in the state in exchange of Rs 90 crore, an official said on Wednesday.
The Anti-Extortion Cell (AEC) of the Mumbai crime branch made the arrests based on the complaint lodged by the legislator, Rahul Kul, who represents the Daund Assembly constituency, he said.
The arrested accused were identified as Riyaaz Sheikh (41), Yogesh Kulkarni (57), Sagar Sangwai (37) and Jaffar Ahmed Rashid Ahmed Usmani (53), the crime branch official said.
"Sheikh had contacted the MLA last week, but he did not respond to his call. The accused then reached out to his personal assistant (PA) saying that he had come to Mumbai from Delhi to meet the MLA. On his request, they arranged a meeting between Sheikh and Kul at Nariman Point. There, Sheikh offered a ministerial berth in the government to Kul, but demanded Rs 100 crore in exchange," he said (PTI)
Additional chief secretary of Urban Development Bhushan Gagrani has been appointed as additional chief secretary in Chief Minister Eknath Shindes secretariat
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde late Tuesday night approached the Election Commission of India (ECI), staking claim over the Shiv Sena. Sources in the Election Commission said the letter was being “processed for due details”.
The Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 deals with the poll body’s power to recognise parties and allot symbols. When the question of a split in a political party arises outside the legislature, paragraph 15 of the Symbols Order, 1968, states: “When the Commission is satisfied…that there are rival sections or groups of a recognised political party, each of whom claims to be that party the Commission may, after taking into account all the available facts and circumstances of the case and hearing (their) representatives…and other persons as desire to be heard, decide that one such rival section or group or none of such rival sections or groups is that recognised political party and the decision of the Commission shall be binding on all such rival sections or groups.” (Read More)
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The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the petitions filed by the Shiv Sena and its rebel MLAs raise many constitutional questions which require consideration by a larger bench.
A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana directed the parties to formulate issues which require examination by a larger bench by July 27.
The Supreme Court commences hearing on plea of Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena challenging disqualification proceedings initiated against them. PTI
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Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met 12 MPs of Shiv Sena in Delhi.
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