Latest news with #MaharashtraPoliceAct
Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
Stray Menace: Can't Do Much Due To Legal Roadblocks, Cops Tell HC
Nagpur: The city police have informed the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court that while they are attempting to act on repeated judicial directives to contain the city's growing stray dog menace, existing legal provisions bar them from taking any action involving killing or culling of strays, rendering enforcement efforts largely ineffective. In an affidavit submitted on Friday, deputy commissioner of police (headquarters) Ashwini S Patil stated, "Due to the prohibition on destruction or killing of dogs, it is not possible to implement Section 44 of the Maharashtra Police Act in its true spirit." Section 44 of the Maharashtra Police Act allows police to seize or destroy stray dogs found in public places without muzzles or owner identification. However, it protects dogs wearing identifiable collars and restricts immediate action unless the animal is confirmed to be rabid. Patil reiterated that this section, though well-intended, remains toothless without changes in national and state-level regulations prohibiting destruction of dogs. The affidavit was filed in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by social activist Vijay Talewar and community representative Manoj Shakya, who have sought a coordinated and sustained crackdown on stray dog attacks in the city. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Learn More - How Watching Videos Can Boost Your Income TheDaddest Undo Represented by senior counsel Firdos Mirza, the petitioners cited the rising number of incidents, including a recent tragic case in which a minor boy in Kalamna fell from the sixth floor of a building while attempting to flee a stray dog. During the last hearing on July 14, a division bench comprising justices Anil Kilor and Manohar Nerlikar strongly rebuked both, the police and municipal authorities, for inaction. "How many times must we repeat ourselves?" the judges remarked, taking note of the fatal incident highlighted by Mirza. He warned that continued negligence could result in more avoidable deaths. To comply with court directives, the police issued circulars on November 28, 2022, deputing an assistant commissioner of police to coordinate with the Animal Birth Control (Dog) Rules, 2001 committee. The circulars also outlined awareness initiatives aimed at public cooperation in reporting and managing stray dogs. Despite these measures, the affidavit emphasised that the core obstacle remains the legal bar on killing strays, making it difficult to act beyond basic coordination or detainment. Talewar and Shakya, representing the Ramdaspeth Durga Pooja Utsav Mandal and Kachipura Kushwaha Samaj respectively, have urged the court to issue clear instructions to authorities, arguing that ambiguity in law must not be allowed to compromise public safety.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Look at your own country: Bombay High Court raps CPI(M) over Gaza protest petition
The Bombay High Court on Friday (July 25, 2025) dismissed a petition filed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the CPI challenging the Mumbai Police's decision to deny permission for a protest at Azad Maidan against the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The court observed that the Indian political organisations should prioritise domestic issues over international conflicts. A Division Bench comprising Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Gautam Ankhad pulled up the petitioners for focusing on matters outside the country and said, 'Our country has enough issues to deal with. We do not want anything like this. I am sorry to say that you are short-sighted. You are looking at Gaza and Palestine while neglecting what's happening here. Why don't you do something for your own country? Look at your own country. Be patriots. People say they are patriots, but this is not patriotism. Show patriotism for the citizens of our own country first,' the Bench remarked sharply during the hearing. Senior advocate Mihir Desai representing CPI(M), informed the Bench that on June 13, 2025, his clients submitted an application seeking permission from the Azad Maidan police station to hold a peaceful protest and gathering in Azad Maidan to show solidarity with the people of Gaza, who are currently in the midst of a genocide, by calling for a ceasefire. On June 17, denying permission to the All India Peace and Solidarity Foundation (AIPSF) that police informed them that the permission to protest was being denied in exercise of their powers under Section 168 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and Section 68 of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951. Mr. Desai informed the Bench that the political parties have time and again taken up several causes that has concerned India and have been conducting health and education camps. The Court noted that the CPI(M), being a registered as Indian political party, should ideally be engaging with local civic concerns. 'You are a registered party in India. Your party could have taken up issues like garbage dumping, pollution, drainage, or flooding. Why are you not protesting on these issues? We are only giving examples. Instead, you want to protest over something happening thousands of miles away and showing concern for Palestine and Gaza,' the Bench observed. The petitioners stated that the Indian government's stance and support of Palestine as a State, has been an integral part of the nation's foreign policy. In 1974, India became the first Non-Arab State to recognize Palestine Liberation Organisation as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. In 1988, India was also one of the first countries to recognize Palestine as a State. In April 2024, India voted in favour of the Human Rights Council Resolution on the Right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. Moreover, India is a State signatory to the Genocide Convention, 1948, and the protest which was held to condemn violence and genocide in Gaza, can in no way termed to be the foreign policy of the India State. Mr. Desai further argued that citizens have a fundamental right to protest at designated places and that disagreements with the government's foreign policy cannot be grounds to stifle dissent. He also contended that mere apprehensions of law-and-order issues, without concrete evidence, should not override constitutional freedoms. He also clarified that the protest has nothing to do with Operation Sindoor or India's border relations with neighbouring countries. CPI(M) issues statement Rejecting the petition, the court observed, 'You don't know the dust it could kick up. Whether to take a side for Palestine or Israel is their (Govt of India) work, why do you want to create such a situation that the country has to take sides on this? Why do you want to do this? It's obvious, going by the party you represent, that you don't understand what this could do to the foreign affairs of the country.' The CPI(M) has strongly condemned the Bombay High Court's remarks while dismissing its petition challenging the denial of permission to protest against the Gaza conflict. Calling the Court's comments unconstitutional and politically biased, the CPI(M) criticised the bench for questioning its patriotism and aligning with the Central government's foreign policy stance. 'It is regrettable to say that the Bench appears to be completely unaware of the constitutional provisions that empower political parties or the history of our country and the support and brotherly feelings of the Indian people towards the Palestinian people for their right to a homeland. The statement made by the High Court bench regarding the CPI(M) smacks of the bench aligning itself with the position of the Central Government,' the party said in a statement. The party invoked India's historical support for Palestine and urged citizens to reject what it termed a troubling judicial trend undermining democratic rights. 'We appeal to the freedom and democracy-loving people of the country to stand shoulder to shoulder with us in unequivocally rejecting this objectionable view,' the statement read.
Time of India
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Former state youth chief of NCP Suraj Chavan & nine others surrender before police, released
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Suraj Chavan, who was compelled to resign from the position of NCP state youth president after assaulting Chhava Sanghatna office bearers for throwing cards at NCP state president Sunil Tatkare, surrendered to Latur police late on Tuesday along with nine others. All the accused were released on Wednesday morning after being issued notices and instructed to cooperate with the ongoing investigation. Police said the FIR registered against the suspects includes bailable sections, which resulted in their release. Latur superintendent of police Amol Tambe told TOI, "All the sections mentioned in the FIR have a punishment of seven or fewer years. According to the guidelines laid by the Supreme Court, arrest cannot be made under such sections." Sources within Latur police said in the coming days, police will initiate appropriate preventive measures to ensure that no law and order issues arise from similar incidents. The incident originated from a complaint lodged by Chhava Sanghatna's key office-bearer Vijay Ghadge, who, along with others, was assaulted by Chavan and other NCP workers after they threw playing cards at Tatkare. They also requested him to pass the cards to agriculture minister Manikrao Kokate, who allegedly appeared in a video showing him playing rummy during an assembly session. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No room on your Mac? Space Lens can easily and safely fix that MacPaw Read More Undo Despite Kokate denying the allegations of playing rummy on his cellphone, the matter has not subsided. At the time of the incident, Tatkare was addressing a news conference in Latur. Ghadge and others were assaulted, and the entire incident was recorded on camera, causing significant embarrassment to the NCP. Subsequently, party chief and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar took to social media to announce that Chavan was asked to resign from the position of the party's state youth president. Police reported that based on Ghadge's complaint, 11 NCP members, including Chavan, were charged by Latur police under sections of rioting and voluntarily causing hurt, among others. Additionally, the police invoked section 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Suraj Chavan, who was compelled to resign from the position of NCP state youth president after assaulting Chhava Sanghatna office bearers for throwing cards at NCP state president Sunil Tatkare, surrendered to Latur police late on Tuesday along with nine others. All the accused were released on Wednesday morning after being issued notices and instructed to cooperate with the ongoing investigation. Police said the FIR registered against the suspects includes bailable sections, which resulted in their release. Latur superintendent of police Amol Tambe told TOI, "All the sections mentioned in the FIR have a punishment of seven or fewer years. According to the guidelines laid by the Supreme Court, arrest cannot be made under such sections." Sources within Latur police said in the coming days, police will initiate appropriate preventive measures to ensure that no law and order issues arise from similar incidents. The incident originated from a complaint lodged by Chhava Sanghatna's key office-bearer Vijay Ghadge, who, along with others, was assaulted by Chavan and other NCP workers after they threw playing cards at Tatkare. They also requested him to pass the cards to agriculture minister Manikrao Kokate, who allegedly appeared in a video showing him playing rummy during an assembly session. Despite Kokate denying the allegations of playing rummy on his cellphone, the matter has not subsided. At the time of the incident, Tatkare was addressing a news conference in Latur. Ghadge and others were assaulted, and the entire incident was recorded on camera, causing significant embarrassment to the NCP. Subsequently, party chief and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar took to social media to announce that Chavan was asked to resign from the position of the party's state youth president. Police reported that based on Ghadge's complaint, 11 NCP members, including Chavan, were charged by Latur police under sections of rioting and voluntarily causing hurt, among others. Additionally, the police invoked section 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act.
Time of India
22-07-2025
- Time of India
Pachpaoli police man youth for carrying sword
Nagpur: Pachpaoli police arrested a 21-year-old man for carrying a iron shorts sword near Lashkaribagh's Samata Maidan in the early hours of Tuesday. According to police, the action was taken around 1.05am after receiving information about a individual roaming in the area with a sharp-edged weapon. The patrol team located the person, who was reportedly causing a commotion. The team surrounded him, disarmed him, and took him into custody. The weapon, valued at approximately Rs500, was seized. Police suspect that the youth, identified as Shreyash Gaikwad, a resident of Gali No. 6, Lashkaribagh, was carrying the weapon with the intent to commit a cognisable offence. He was found in violation of a preventive order and was booked under Section 4/25 of the Arms Act, along with Section 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act.
Indian Express
21-07-2025
- Indian Express
‘Bayath', DIY kits and bomb testing in Western Ghats: a look at ‘Pune ISIS module'
On June 28, 2025, high-profile terror operative Saquib Nachan, 66, who hailed from Padgha in Thane rural, died in judicial custody in Delhi. A former general secretary of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and a convict in multiple terror-related cases, Nachan was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in December 2023 for allegedly masterminding the ISIS terror modules in Maharashtra. According to the NIA, Nachan allegedly administered 'bayath' or the 'oath of allegiance to the ISIS Khalifa' to young recruits of the terror group. His son Shamil Nachan was arrested by the NIA in August 2023 in connection with the Pune ISIS module case. NIA has so far arrested 11 terror operatives in this case. The agency alleged that these terror operatives assembled and tested bombs in Pune, besides planning terror attacks in various cities across Maharashtra and Gujarat. The breakthrough: action suspecting vehicle theft During night patrolling duty on July 18, 2023, policemen Amol Najan and Pradip Chavan nabbed three suspects in Pune city's Kothrud area around 2.30 am on suspicion of vehicle theft. The suspects, identified as Mohammed Shahnawaz Alam alias Shafi alias Abdulla of Jharkhand, Mohammed Yusuf Khan, and Mohammed Yunus Mohammed Yakub Saki, both from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh, were found to be residing in Pune's Kondhwa. While the police personnel were taking them for a house search in Kondhwa, Alam allegedly escaped, but was later arrested by the Delhi Police in October that year. Meanwhile, the house search led to the recovery of suspicious items like 'drone material', some white powder, a pistol pouch, and a live cartridge. Subsequently, a First Information Report (FIR) was lodged against them at the Kothrud station under Indian Penal Code sections 468 (forgery), 379 (theft), 511 (offense punishable with imprisonment), and 34 (common intention), besides sections of the Indian Arms Act and the Maharashtra Police Act. The probe confirmed that Khan and Saki were members of the Al Sufa terrorist gang linked to ISIS. Both were 'most wanted' by the NIA in a case relating to the recovery of explosives from a car in Rajasthan in March 2022. The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) then took over the probe from the Pune police on July 22. Forensic investigation confirmed that the white powder seized from the accused was an explosive substance. ATS invoked sections of the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) against the accused for their alleged involvement in terrorist activities, while posing as 'graphic designers' in Pune. ATS also claimed to have recovered bomb-making material such as 'chemical powder, charcoal, thermometer, dropper, soldering gun, multimeter, small bulbs, batteries, alarm clock,' from the accused. ATS arrested a few more suspects, including Abdul Kadir Pathan, an IT engineer S N Kazi for allegedly providing shelter and funds. ATS also seized maps, Urdu and Arabic literature, and retrieved about 500 GB of data from the electronic devices of the accused, which carried images of various locations in Pune and other areas, including the Chabad house in Mumbai. NIA takes over probe On June 23, 2023, the NIA registered the 'Maharashtra ISIS terror module case' and arrested six people: Tabish Nasser Siddiqui from Mumbai, Zubair Noor Mohammed Shaikh alias Abu Nusaiba and Dr Adnan Ali Sarkar from Pune, Sharjeel Shaikh, Zulfikar Ali Barodawala, and Aakif Ateeque Nachan from Padgha in Thane. The probe revealed that Aakif Nachan and Barodawala worked 'in collaboration' with the ATS case suspects. ATS took Barodawala into custody on August 1, 2023, suspecting him to be the 'handler' of Khan, Saki and Pathan. But considering the common links, the NIA then took over the probe from ATS on August 7 and named it the Pune ISIS Module case. Investigations revealed that Barodawala was a key accused, who along with his associates, played a role in raising the ISIS Sleeper Cell in Maharashtra. The probe revealed that Barodawala resided in Kondhwa between 2017 and 2022. He allegedly trained Khan, Saki and Alam in making bombs at their Kondhwa house. ATS alleged that they tested the bombs at a secluded spot in the Ghat section in Pune, along with certain locations in the forest areas of Satara and Kolhapur. As per a press release by NIA, Barodawala and his associates even 'shared relevant material, including 'Do It Yourself kits (DIY)' among themselves for the fabrication of IEDs and manufacture of small weapons, pistols…' 11 accused chargesheeted In November 2023, the NIA chargesheeted seven accused, including Khan, Saki, Pathan, Kazi, Barodawala, Akif Nachan and Shamil Nachan in the Pune ISIS Module case. Further, in March 2024, a chargesheet was filed against Alam and three wanted accused: Rizwan Ali of Delhi, Abdulla Faiyaz Shaikh alias Daiperwala, and Talha Liyakat Khan of Kondhwa, Pune. Meanwhile, Rizwan Ali was arrested by the Delhi Police's Special Cell in August 2024. NIA took his custody this month for investigation. Before that, in May this year, NIA arrested Abdulla Shaikh and Talha, after they 'were intercepted by the Bureau of Immigration at the Mumbai International Airport' when they returned to India from Jakarta, Indonesia, where they had been 'hiding out.' The probe revealed that Rizwan got involved in ISIS after being radicalised through social media. In 2017, he befriended Alam, who came to Delhi from Jharkhand for studies. In 2022, the duo came in touch with Khan and Saki. All four were indoctrinated to join the ISIS operations. NIA alleged that the accused had recced the areas of Western Ghats for potential hideouts. The agency also claimed to have recovered handwritten notes taken by the accused at the time of their IED fabrication training in Pune. A drone, clothes, and a knife used during the 'bayath' (oath), taken in the name of the Khalifa of ISIS, were also recovered, the NIA stated. Chandan Haygunde is an assistant editor with The Indian Express with 15 + years of experience in covering issues related to Crime, Courts, National Security and Human Rights. He has been associated with The Indian Express since 2007. Chandan has done investigative reporting on incidents of terrorism, left wing extremism, espionage cases, wildlife crimes, narcotics racket, cyber crimes and sensational murder cases in Pune and other parts of Maharashtra. While working on the 'Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Fellowship on Tigers, Tiger Habitats and Conservation' in 2012, he reported extensively on the illegal activities in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. He has done in-depth reporting on the cases related to the Koregaon Bhima violence in Pune and hearings of the 'Koregaon Bhima Commission of Inquiry'. ... Read More Sushant Kulkarni is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express in Pune with 12+ years of experience covering issues related to Crime, Defence, Internal Security and Courts. He has been associated with the Indian Express since July 2010. Sushant has extensively reported on law and order issues of Pune and surrounding area, Cyber crime, narcotics trade and terrorism. His coverage in the Defence beat includes operational aspects of the three services, the defence research and development and issues related to key defence establishments. He has covered several sensitive cases in the courts at Pune. Sushant is an avid photographer, plays harmonica and loves cooking. ... Read More
