
Marathi row: Duo forced to apologise to man over assault, slapped in presence of Sena (UBT) leader
"Speak in Marathi since you have hit a Marathi person," a voice is heard telling one of the two men while he tries to say something to Vichare, a former MP from Thane.
The video purportedly shows Vichare seated in his office surrounded by supporters, and the duo and a man in a red shirt. One by one, the two bow to touch the feet of the man and apologise to him. The man even slaps one of them in the widely shared video.

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Hindustan Times
36 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
‘It was consensual': Court gives teacher, 40, bail over sexual relationship with 16-year-old boy
The 40-year-old female teacher of a prominent Mumbai school who was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for engaging in sexual activity with one of her students, was granted bail on the grounds that the boy was over 16 years of age, and evidence shows there was a 'consensual relationship subsequently.' In her bail plea, accused teacher said the boy was emotionally attached to her and referred to her as his 'wife'.(Unsplash/representational) As reported earlier by HT, the teacher had been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting the minor student on multiple occasions for over a year and for allegedly luring him to five-star hotels, plying him with alcohol and then engaging in sex with him. She was arrested last month after the boy's family complained to the police. In a detailed order, the special court for cases under POCSO Act noted that the accused's resignation from the school last year — during which the alleged sexual assaults took place — had diluted the 'student-teacher dynamic.' Special judge Sabina Malik also said the trial will take time to commence, so keeping the woman behind bars would not serve any purpose. The court granted the woman bail after considering that she is the mother of two minor children. 'He has a tattoo of my name' The accused has denied all the allegations, claiming the FIR was 'motivated' and filed at the insistence of the boy's mother who disapproved of their relationship. In her bail plea, she stated that the boy was emotionally attached to her and referred to her as his 'wife'. She also claimed that he had sent her affectionate messages and handwritten notes, and had a tattoo of her name on his body, adding that these facts were deliberately omitted from the police complaint. The teacher also claimed that she had resigned from the school in April 2024 to distance herself from the boy and insisted that she would only meet him with his mother's permission. However, he continued to contact her, she alleged. According to the FIR, from January 2024 to February 2025, the woman had sex with the boy at various five-star hotels and also in her car. She allegedly also gave him alcohol and medication for anxiety, and used a female colleague to persuade him to meet her. She then resigned from the school last year after the boy passed Class 11. 'Made to sign document in Marathi, did not understand' In the bail order, the court noted, 'As the accused had resigned from the school, the relationship of a teacher and student no longer existed and, hence, the influence was diluted.' The court also took note of the accused's contention that the police had provided the grounds of her arrest to her in Marathi, a language she does not understand, and that she was made to sign the documents without a translation. The court recorded this as part of its reasoning while noting improper compliance with arrest procedures under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS). In her bail plea, the accused pointed to her responsibilities as a single mother of 11-year-old twins — one of whom suffers from a respiratory condition — as grounds for leniency. She submitted her daughter's medical records and argued that her incarceration was affecting the children's education and mental health. Opposing bail, both the prosecution and the complainant cited trauma, threats, and concerns over tampering with evidence. However, the court said these risks could be addressed through strict bail conditions. 'The potential risk to the victim, if any, could be catered to by imposing necessary terms and conditions,' the court order stated, while also warning that 'breach of any condition will amount to cancellation of bail'. The teacher was granted bail on furnishing a personal bond of ₹50,000, with one or more solvent sureties of the same amount. She was directed not to contact the victim or witnesses, tamper with evidence, or leave Mumbai without the court's permission. (Reported by Vikrant Jha)


Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
At heart of a new twist in the Maharashtra 2022 power swing, who is Praful Lodha?
The toppling of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in June 2022 after the Shiv Sena split is back in the news. And this time, at the heart of it is a 62-year-old controversial figure who has long operated on the fringes of politics in the state. MVA leaders have alleged that the reason many Sena MLAs left with Eknath Shinde at the time was that they were 'honeytrapped', and that the 'mastermind' was Praful Lodha. Since Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut made the allegation earlier this month, Lodha has been taken into custody by police twice, and booked for cases in Mumbai as well as Pune. This spotlight is unusual for Lodha, a low-profile political figure from Pahur village in Jalgaon district, who has occasionally surfaced in photographs with political leaders, and has mostly been associated with the BJP, barring stints in the NCP and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA). On July 7, Lodha was arrested by the Sakinaka police on accusations by a minor of assault at his bungalow after promising her a job, and of using photos to threaten her. While he was behind bars, the MIDC police on July 17 took his custody in another case, registered against him by a 19-year-old woman, of alleged sexual assault on the pretext of a job offer. Lodha faces two separate POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) cases, and charges of rape, blackmail, illegal confinement, and using obscene content to threaten victims. Now, Pune Police too have registered an FIR against him under similar sections of rape. The Mumbai Police seized laptops, pen drives and other digital equipment during raids at Lodha's properties in Jalgaon, Jamner and Pahur. Initially, the issue was raised in the Maharashtra Assembly by Congress MLA and former party state chief Nana Patole, who demanded that the Mahayuti government explain whether there had been a honeytrap operation 'involving IAS officers and sitting ministers', calling it a threat to the state's security. Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who was Maharashtra BJP chief earlier, later said the Home Department and police were looking into the matter. Sena (UBT) leader Raut then claimed that more than a dozen MLAs of the Shiv Sena and four of its MPs were 'trapped' through videos and blackmailed by Lodha before the party split. 'It wasn't ED or CBI pressure,' he said, adding that Lodha has 'close ties with top BJP leaders'. Alleged to have been close to BJP Jamner MLA Girish Mahajan at one time, Lodha left the party in 2019 accusing him of 'wrongdoing'. Mahajan ran an initiative called Arogya Doot (Health Messenger), to help patients from the Jalgaon region receive treatment in Mumbai, and Lodha was said to be actively involved in it. Having joined the NCP soon after leaving the BJP, Lodha stayed with the Sharad Pawar faction after Ajit Pawar split and joined the Mahayuti too, taking away a majority of the party MLAs. But, last year, Lodha left the NCP (SP), this time after an attack on its senior leader Eknath Khadse. Soon after, Lodha joined the VBA, which even offered him a ticket for last year's Lok Sabha elections. However, after accepting the same, Lodha withdrew his candidature within five days. Later, Lodha made a return to the BJP. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was present to welcome him back at an event in Jalgaon. Responding to claims of his proximity to Lodha, Mahajan said he was no longer in the BJP and had been photographed with leaders across parties over the years. That didn't mean Lodha was close to him, Mahajan said. 'The photo which is being circulated (of me with him) is around 10 years old. Then Lodha was in the BJP and was doing work for the party. But later things changed.' On the allegations against Lodha, Mahajan said: 'Whether the honeytrap claims or suspicions regarding the rise in his assets, they will be revealed during investigations.' At the same time, the BJP MLA questioned the honeytrap claims made by Patole and Raut. Khadse asked why the FIRs against Lodha had come soon after talk began in political circles of a honeytrap scandal. He added: 'If Lodha's past is questionable, then why did Mahajan induct him in the BJP? If Lodha was once Mahajan's adversary, what changed? Is it connected to the honeytrap? The truth will come out sooner or later.' Asked about the probe against Lodha, an officer of the MIDC police said: 'We have taken the custody of the accused and our investigation is on.'


Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Sexual assault of student: Court cites ‘consensual relationship' while granting bail to school teacher in Mumbai
MUMBAI: The 40-year-old female teacher of a prominent Mumbai school who was booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for engaging in sexual activity with one of her students, was granted bail on the ground that the boy was over 16 years of age, and evidence shows there was a 'consensual relationship subsequently.' Special judge Sabina Malik also said the trial will take time to commence, so keeping the woman behind bars would not serve any purpose. (Unsplash/representational) As reported earlier by HT, the teacher had been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting the minor student on multiple occasions for over a year and for luring him to five-star hotels, plying him with alcohol and then engaging in sex with him. She was arrested last month after the boy's family complained to the police. In a detailed order, the special court for cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act noted that the accused's resignation from the school last year—during which the alleged sexual assaults took place-- had diluted the 'student-teacher dynamic.' Special judge Sabina Malik also said the trial will take time to commence, so keeping the woman behind bars would not serve any purpose. The court granted the woman bail after considering that she is the mother of two minor children. The accused has denied all the allegations, claiming the FIR was 'motivated' and filed at the insistence of the boy's mother who disapproved of their relationship. In her bail plea, she stated that the boy was emotionally attached to her and referred to her as his 'wife'. She also claimed that he had sent her affectionate messages and handwritten notes, and had a tattoo of her name on his body, adding that these facts were deliberately omitted from the police complaint. The teacher also claimed that she had resigned from the school in April 2024 to distance herself from the boy and insisted that she would only meet him with his mother's permission. However, he continued to contact her, she alleged. According to the FIR, from January 2024 to February 2025, the woman had sex with the boy at various five-star hotels and also in her car. She allegedly also gave him alcohol and medication for anxiety, and used a female colleague to persuade him to meet her. She then resigned from the school last year after the boy passed Class 11. In the bail order, the court noted, 'As the accused had resigned from the school, the relationship of a teacher and student no longer existed and, hence, the influence was diluted.' The court also took note of the accused's contention that the police had provided the grounds of her arrest to her in Marathi, a language she does not understand, and that she was made to sign the documents without a translation. The court recorded this as part of its reasoning while noting improper compliance with arrest procedures under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 (BNSS). In her bail plea, the accused pointed to her responsibilities as a single mother of 11-year-old twins—one of whom suffers from a respiratory condition—as grounds for leniency. She submitted her daughter's medical records and argued that her incarceration was affecting the children's education and mental health. Opposing bail, both the prosecution and the complainant cited trauma, threats, and concerns over tampering with evidence. However, the court said these risks could be addressed through strict bail conditions. 'The potential risk to the victim, if any, could be catered to by imposing necessary terms and conditions,' the court order stated, while also warning that 'breach of any condition will amount to cancellation of bail'. The teacher was granted bail on furnishing a personal bond of ₹50,000, with one or more solvent sureties of the same amount. She was directed not to contact the victim or witnesses, tamper with evidence, or leave Mumbai without the court's permission. The accused was earlier booked under sections 123 (sexual assault), 351(2) (aggravated sexual assault by person in authority), and 3(5) (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the Pocso Act and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.