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Hindustan Times
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
The Girgaon school that has churned out CJIs, litterateurs
MUMBAI: On Sunday, a special visitor will walk the halls of Shirolkar High School in Girgaon. As he strolls through the assembly hall and classrooms, memories of his school days will likely come rushing back – like the time his teacher scolded him and his classmate Vinayak Joshi (who became a CA later) for 'never drawing beyond the triangular mountain and right-angle tree' in art class. Mumbai, India. July 02, 2025: View of Shirodkar High School in the Girgaon area in south Mumbai. Mumbai, India. July 02, 2025. (Photo by Raju Shinde/ HT Photo) (Raju Shinde) That visitor will be Bhushan Gavai, Chief Justice of India, who will become a schoolboy again – just for a day – when he returns to his alma mater. Gavai – among a long list of remarkable alumni – studied at Shirolkar High School for five formative years, from Class 5 to Class 8, before he moved on in 1973. The school, run by the Chikitsak Samuh trust, was established in 1908 and was one of only a handful of premium Marathi schools in Mumbai at the time. Apart from Gavai, the school was alma mater to another former Chief Justice of India, UU Lalit, who completed his matriculation here in 1974, and visited the school a few years ago. Other notable alumni include writer Jaywant Dalvi, music director Yashwant Deo, actor Milind Soman, journalist and Nava-Kal founder Neelkanth Khadilkar, Arjuna Award-winning cueist Anuja Thakur, and senior bureaucrats such as DM Sukhtankar, who is former chief secretary of Maharashtra. The school was established by a physician, Dr Vitthal Sukhtankar, a social worker Jagannath Pilgaonkar, and local journalist Bal Kabadi. The mission was to offer quality education in Marathi during a period of sweeping intellectual and social reform across India. The partition of Bengal had just taken place and national pride was running high. Social reformers and nationalist leaders saw education as a powerful tool to encourage young minds to take pride in their roots and aspire to serve the nation. The school actually has its origins in 1906, when it operated out of Mugbhat Chawl in Girgaon. It was reinvented when the Chikitsak Samuh trust revived a local primary school on the verge of shutting down. The school, Potdar Primary School, had been launched by writer and educator, Vasudev Potdar, from the profits of his printing business. By 1917, Potdar Primary School had grown into a full-fledged high school. Although the medium of instruction was Marathi, it taught mathematics and science in English – an unusual practice in the early 20th century. This bilingual approach kept the curriculum contemporary in an era where English was widespread under British colonial rule. It also helped its students compete in the civil services exams, while opening doors to an education overseas, for those who could afford it. An article published in an old souvenir of the school referred to the visit of education officer, Frank Anderson, to the school in 1909. Anderson remarked, 'I was particularly struck with the kindergarten.' The institution got its present name from philanthropist Vishnu Shirolkar, who was inspired by its track record. The school was regularly producing toppers, like Kashinath Sukhtankar, who bagged the prestigious Jagannath Shankarsheth scholarship in 1921; and Purshottam Lad¸ who stood first in the Bombay Province, the next year. Shirolkar set aside ₹1 lakh in his will to help the institution expand with a new building. The money came through in 1937, and the school renamed after him. Shirolkar High School was truly fulfilling its promise of offering a top-class education. After Independence, the number of students swelled so much that it became the first Marathi school to hold classes in two shifts. 'In the good old days, this school was considered one of the most respected schools in South Bombay. Unfortunately, with the younger generation increasingly opting for an English-medium education, many iconic institutions in Girgaon like Chikitsak, Aryan and Ram Mohan have been falling behind,' says Lalit. 'I owe who I am today to this school and my teachers. They gave me the foundation I needed to grow,' Lalit says, adding, 'I am still in touch with some of my classmates from pre-primary school.' Vinayak Joshi, a batch-mate of Gavai, shares memories from the 1970s. 'I lived in Tarabagh, and although most kids in our area went to Aryan, three of us studied at Shirolkar. Bhushan (Gavai) was very soft-spoken, always smiling. He never flaunted the fact that he came to school in an Ambassador car—a big deal in those days!' The Ambassador belonged to Gavai's father, R S Gavai, a senior politician and, later, founder of the Republican Party of India (Gavai). Joshi, a chartered accountant and who also manages the school's alumni network, says the school set the bar really high. 'Our evaluations were tough, but it made us better. I stood 36th in India in the CA exams, and many others from our batch did well too.' Another distinguished alumnus is DM Sukhtankar, now 93. A former chief secretary in the Government of Maharashtra, Sukhtankar says he specifically chose Shirolkar School when his family moved from Vadodara to Mumbai. 'The education system and the teachers were well known, so I chose this school for Class 9. The bilingual education helped immensely in my higher studies.' The former senior bureaucrat adds that along with his batch-mate Arvind Dev, he cracked the UPSC exam. 'Dev joined the Indian Foreign Service and I chose the IAS,' he says. Sukhthankar fondly recalls his English teacher Mr Nagnath Pai, and another teacher, HP Paygaonkar, as formative influences. With more than 800 students on its rolls today, Shirolkar High School, a government-aided institution, has survived the shift to an English-medium education. Chairperson Kishore Rangnekar, who has led the Chikitsak Samuh trust since 2005, says, 'At one point, we had more than 2,000 students. Even as numbers declined, we chose to stick with Marathi medium instead of switching. Today, only Shirolkar and Aryan High School have survived in Girgaon.' He says that Patkar-Varde College in Goregaon, also run by the Chikitsak Samuh, provides financial support to the school. 'Most of our students come from lower-income families. Our alumni sponsor uniforms, books, scholarships and some extracurricular activities. Thanks to them, we have set up a computer lab and have support for sports like kabaddi,' says Rangnekar. This generosity echoes a tradition set by the Chikitsak Samuh, as alumni step up to give back—just as the school itself has supported other institutions in the past. For instance, the Chikitsak Samuh had rescued the Maratha High School, established to educate Dalits and which had Dr B R Ambedkar on its rolls, in 1949. By lending teachers and offering financial support, the trust brought it back from the brink of closure. This year, Shirolkar High School entered a new phase by launching an ICSE section, a strategy to adapt to modern educational demands. 'There is no other Marathi school between Colaba and Girgaon offering the kind of quality education we do,' says Rangnekar. On Sunday, when Gavai returns to the school that shaped him, it will be more than a visit, it will be a homecoming filled with heartfelt reflections.
Indian Express
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
The 2021 FIR that came to haunt Bikram Majithia
A Vigilance Bureau spokesperson said the case has been registered on the basis of a report by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the FIR dated December 20, 2021, under Sections 25, 27-A, and 29 of the NDPS Act, 1985, at the Punjab State Crime Police Station, SAS Nagar. The SIT has allegedly uncovered substantial evidence indicating massive laundering of drug money by Bikram Singh Majithia. Majithia was first booked during the Channi government's tenure, when a 49-page FIR was registered in December 2021. He was accused of offences under Section 25 (allowing premises to be used for committing a crime), Section 27-A (financing drug-related activities), and Section 29 (criminal conspiracy) of the NDPS Act. The case had triggered allegations of political vendetta at the time. The FIR was based on a report by the state's Special Task Force (STF) against drugs, headed by IPS officer Harpreet Sidhu. It stated that the STF had found prima facie evidence to warrant further investigation into Majithia's role, as alleged in the complaint. The STF's findings drew from an analysis of the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) investigation in the Jagdish Bhola drug case. In 2018, the STF was asked to assess Majithia's role based on material gathered by the ED. Statements by drug accused Jagjit Singh Chahal and Maninder Singh Bittu Aulakh, recorded by the ED, were included in the report and later incorporated into the FIR. Bhola, a former DSP and Arjuna Award-winning wrestler, was accused in 2013 of amassing properties worth crores through drug smuggling. He was recently granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on May 21. The STF's report, submitted to the High Court in 2018, had remained sealed as the court sought responses from the then DGP and home secretary. The Vigilance Bureau FIR also cited legal opinion by then Advocate General DS Patwalia, who strongly recommended action on the STF report. Patwalia had stated there was no legal bar preventing the STF or any state agency from proceeding.
New Indian Express
02-06-2025
- New Indian Express
Former DSP Bhola, convicted in Rs 700 crore drug racket case, out on bail after 12 years
CHANDIGARH: Former Deputy Superintendent of Punjab Police and Arjuna Award-winning wrestler Jagdish Bhola, an alleged kingpin of a synthetic narcotics racket worth Rs 700 crore, walked out of Bathinda Central Jail on June 1 after nearly 12 years of incarceration. He was granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on May 21. Hailing from Raike Kalan village in Bathinda, Bhola had been convicted in one of the largest drug trafficking cases in the history of the State, which involved a Rs 700 crore synthetic narcotics racket. He has been convicted in two cases, while a few more criminal cases were pending against him. In 2019, a special CBI court sentenced Bhola to 24 years in prison. Last year, he received an additional 10-year sentence following a conviction for money laundering. Confirming that Bhola has been released, Bathinda Central Jail Superintendent Manjit Singh Sidhu said that it took place in the evening of Sunday after all formalities were completed.
Time of India
02-06-2025
- Time of India
Jagdish Bhola, convict in Rs 700 crore drug racket, walks out of prison after 12 years
Punjab and Haryana high court had on May 21 granted bail to former Punjab Police DSP Jagdish Bhola. He was asked to furnish a bail bond of Rs 5 lakh and two sureties BATHINDA: Twelve years after he was arrested in a multi-crore drug racket, Arjuna Award-winning wrestler and former Punjab Police DSP Jagdish Bhola finally walked out of jail on Sunday. A bench of the Punjab and Haryana high court had granted him bail on May 21, with various conditions, including a bail bond of Rs 5 lakh and two sureties. Bhola had won a silver medal in the Asian Wrestling Championship in 1991 and appeared in the Punjabi movie Rustam-e-Hind in 2008. A deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Bhola was dismissed from Punjab Police in 2012. He was arrested in Nov 2013 in connection with a Rs 700-crore drug racket. Bhola was in jail for nearly 12 years. He has been convicted twice — in 2019 and 2024. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) named him an accused in the multi-crore synthetic narcotics racket after an investigation into money laundering was initiated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in 2013. In Feb 2019, Bhola was convicted and sentenced to 24 years in jail by a special CBI court in Mohali in the Rs 700-crore drug racket busted Punjab Police in 2013. Punjab Police had seized heroin, methamphetamine, pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, opium, intoxicating powder, and Rs 1.91 crore, besides some foreign currency and arms from him. In the second conviction, Bhola was sentenced to 10 years in jail in a drug-linked money laundering case of Mohali in July 2024. Earlier, the disgraced cop and wrestler was allowed to visit his native village, Raike Kalan in Bathinda district, for five hours to perform the last rites of his father, Balshinder Singh, on Jul 26, 2024. Before this, he had come out to perform the last rites of his mother for a brief period in Jun 2023.
Time of India
01-06-2025
- Time of India
Jagdish Bhola, convict in Rs 700cr drug racket, walks out of prison after 12 years
Bathinda: Twelve years after he was arrested in a multi-crore drug racket, Arjuna Award-winning wrestler and former Punjab Police DSP Jagdish Bhola finally walked out of jail on Sunday. A bench of the Punjab and Haryana high court had granted him bail on May 21, with various conditions, including a bail bond of Rs 5 lakh and two sureties. Bhola had won a silver medal in the Asian Wrestling Championship in 1991 and appeared in the Punjabi movie Rustam-e-Hind in 2008. A deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Bhola was dismissed from Punjab Police in 2012. He was arrested in Nov 2013 in connection with a Rs 700-crore drug racket. Bhola was in jail for nearly 12 years. He has been convicted twice — in 2019 and 2024. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) named him an accused in the multi-crore synthetic narcotics racket after an investigation into money laundering was initiated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in 2013. In Feb 2019, Bhola was convicted and sentenced to 24 years in jail by a special CBI court in Mohali in the Rs 700-crore drug racket busted Punjab Police in 2013. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Punjab Police had seized heroin, methamphetamine, pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, opium, intoxicating powder, and Rs 1.91 crore, besides some foreign currency and arms from him. In the second conviction, Bhola was sentenced to 10 years in jail in a drug-linked money laundering case of Mohali in July 2024. Earlier, the disgraced cop and wrestler was allowed to visit his native village, Raike Kalan in Bathinda district, for five hours to perform the last rites of his father, Balshinder Singh, on Jul 26, 2024. Before this, he had come out to perform the last rites of his mother for a brief period in Jun 2023.
