An official on Thursday said that the Director General of Maharashtra Police has formed a new special investigation team to probe the custodial death of Akshay Shinde, the accused in the Badlapur school sexual assault case, reported news agency PTI. DGP Rashmi Shukla formed the SIT as per the Supreme Court's orders, he said. The SIT will be headed by Datta Shinde, Additional Commissioner of Police attached to Mira-Bhayandar-Vasai-Virar (MBVV) police who is a deputy inspector general-rank official. It includes a deputy commissioner of police from Pimpri Chinchwad, an assistant commissioner of police, two senior inspectors -- one of them from Navi Mumbai, two assistant police inspectors, one sub-inspector and an assistant sub-inspector, reported PTI. Besides the DCP and senior police inspector, all officers are from MBVV commissionerate, the official said. The SIT has taken in its possession all Badlapur accused encounter case-related documents from the Crime Investigation Department (CID) which was probing the case earlier, and started a fresh investigation, he said. Additional Commissioner of Police Datta Shinde has worked in Thane and Navi Mumbai and knows the area, the official said. He also has served as superintendent of police at Palghar, reported PTI. Akshay Shinde (24), accused of sexually assaulting two kindergarten girls at a school in Badlapur in Thane district, was killed in police firing when he allegedly snatched a policeman's weapon and opened fire while being taken to the Badlapur police station from Taloja central prison on September 23, 2024. Shinde's family moved to the Bombay High Court claiming that it was a fake encounter. As the CID did not register a case against the police officials despite its orders, the Bombay High Court directed that an SIT headed by Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Lakhmi Gautam should probe the Badlapur accused encounter case, reported PTI. The Maharashtra government then moved the Supreme Court, which ordered the state DGP to constitute a new SIT. The order also stated that there was no need for registration of a new FIR as there was already a case registered at Mumbra Police Station, the official said. (With inputs from PTI)
15 May,2025 12:18 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentNoting that long-term detention of an undertrial prisoner violates his fundamental right to speedy trial under Article 21 and amounts to "pre-trial punishment", the Bombay HC has granted bail to Tariq Parveen, a close aide of Dawood Ibrahim, who had been in jail for five years.The high court took into account long incarceration and non-completion of the trial in the foreseeable future, observing that an "accused is innocent until proven guilty" rule of criminal jurisprudence cannot be taken lightly. Parveen, arrested in a 2020 extortion case, was released from the Taloja prison in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday.A bench of Justice Milind Jadhav in the May 8 order noted that the long-term detention of an undertrial prisoner violates his fundamental right to speedy trial flowing from Article 21 of the Constitution. Parveen had been in jail for five years, and there is no possibility of the trial concluding in the near foreseeable future, the bench said."Detaining an undertrial prisoner for such an extended period further violates his fundamental right to speedy trial flowing from Article 21 of the Constitution," the court said. The bench said detaining an undertrial person in prison for a long period only serves to legitimise the award of "surrogate punishment" to that person without trial, which amounts to pre-trial punishment. Parveen had sought bail in the extortion case registered against him under the Indian Penal Code and the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), citing long incarceration and non-completion of trial in the foreseeable future. Justice Jadhav stated that the "accused is innocent until proven guilty" is the principle rule of criminal jurisprudence."This rule cannot be taken lightly, especially when liberty of an undertrial accused person has been at stake for over five years," the bench said.The high court further said Parveen's complicity in the crime can certainly be proved at the trial after adequate evaluation of evidence. If found guilty, he will face the appropriate punishment. "At this prima facie stage, I am inclined to consider the applicant's application for bail solely due to his long incarceration pending trial coupled with parity," Justice Jadhav said. The court granted bail to Parveen on a surety of Rs 25,000. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 May,2025 10:18 AM IST | Mumbai | PTIThe police on Thursday said that a 25-year-old woman and her brother were killed in the Palghar district after their two-wheeler collided with a trailer truck, reported news agency PTI. The accident took place on Tuesday night and the truck driver was absconding, said an official of Palghar police station. Mangesh Vishwakarma (22) and his sister Pooja Vishwakarma (25) set out on a motorbike to eat ice cream after dinner on Tuesday. While returning home by the Palghar-Mahim Road, a trailer coming from the opposite direction at high speed collided with their bike, the official said, reported PTI. The two died on the spot, he said. The impact of the collision left their bodies mangled, the official said. An FIR has been registered against the absconding driver, he added. One killed as truck rams into two-wheeler in Thane In another incident, one person was killed after a truck hit a two-wheeler in Maharashtra's Thane city, a civic official said on Monday, reported PTI. The accident occurred near Kapurbawdi Bridge around 10 pm on Sunday, the official said. The truck lost control and rammed into a scooter, throwing off the rider, who died on the spot, said Yasin Tadvi, the chief of the civic disaster management cell, reported PTI. He said personnel from the police, city traffic police, and an emergency ambulance were dispatched to the location, and the man's body was sent for post-mortem, reported PTI. A police official said efforts were underway to trace the truck driver. Hyderabad couple on way to Shirdi killed in car-truck collision Meanwhile, a couple from Hyderabad died and five persons, including three children, were injured when their car collided with a truck on the Solapur-Dhule highway in Jalna district of Maharashtra, police said on Monday, reported PTI. The victims were travelling to the holy town of Shirdi when the accident occurred around 11:30 PM on Sunday in Ambad tehsil. The deceased duo was identified as G. Ram (42) and his wife, G. Madhuri (39), reported PTI. The impact of the collision was so severe that the car was completely mangled, making rescue operations challenging for local people and police. The police had to bring a JCB machine to extricate bodies, an official said. The five injured passengers, including three children, were rushed to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The injured persons have been identified as Shrivani (41), Anusha (17), Meghna (12), Rushikesh (7) and Nagesh Rao (45)- all residents of Hyderabad, reported PTI. The driver of the truck fled from the spot, leaving the vehicle behind, police said. (With inputs from PTI)
15 May,2025 09:50 AM IST | Palghar | mid-day online correspondentChief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the Metro Line 9 (Red Line) will be further extended till Virar, and planning was underway to take it further till Vadhvan Port in Palghar to offer seamless connectivity from Mumbai as he flagged off the Phase-1 trial run from the newly constructed Kashigaon Metro station in Mira Road in Thane district. Fadnavis said the Vadhvan Port already has the bullet train station near it, and the state government is working on a plan to further integrate it with the Metro. Speaking about Red Line Metro 9, the CM said, “Technical testing for this phase has begun. This stretch offers seamless connectivity along the Western Express Highway and will act as a major decongestion solution. It is the first time in the MMR that a double-decker structure combining a Metro and a flyover has been constructed. Mira-Bhayandar will immensely benefit from this integration, and we are committed to completing 50 km of Metro this year, followed by 62 km next year and 60 km in the year after. By 2027, Metro travel will expand considerably, alleviating the load on our arterial roads.” Metro Line 9 is part of Mumbai’s pioneering double-decker infrastructure project, where both Metro and vehicular flyovers share a common viaduct. It is an extension of Red Line 7 from Andheri-Dahisar to Mira-Bhayandar. It will enable a direct Metro link from Andheri (WEH) to Kashimira in the first phase and extend up to Subhash Chandra Bose Stadium, Bhayandar (West), in the second phase. “The proposed extension up to Virar will ensure connectivity across Thane, Palghar, and Raigad districts. We are working on a 337 km-long Metro network for Mumbai. Our goal is to commission 50–60 km of Metro each year, thereby offering complete last-mile and end-to-end connectivity. This will bring down the number of vehicles on roads and reduce pollution levels significantly,” the CM added. “Metro Line 9 is not just a new corridor — it is a strategic connector that integrates Mira-Bhayandar with the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region. With seamless interchanges to key Metro lines, including Line 2A, Line 7, Line 1, and the upcoming Lines 10 and 13, this corridor creates a continuous, end-to-end travel experience from Mira-Bhayandar to Andheri, Ghatkopar, Thane, and even Vasai-Virar. It exemplifies our vision of ‘Mumbai in Minutes’ — where time, distance, and congestion no longer constrain opportunity, mobility, or growth,” MMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Sanjay Mukherjee said.
15 May,2025 09:39 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. AklekarThe India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a fresh yellow alert for Mumbai on Thursday. The city is likely to experience thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, light to moderate rainfall, and gusty winds, the IMD said. According to the latest Mumbai weather updates from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Mumbai is expected to experience a partly cloudy sky with the possibility of a light rain on Thursday, May 15. Temperatures will range from a cool 26 degrees Celsius in the morning to a warm 34 degrees Celsius during the day. According to the Mumbai weather updates of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Santacruz observatory in suburban Mumbai recorded a maximum temperature of 34.6 degrees Celsius and a minimum temperature of 26.0 degrees Celsius. The weather department's data showed that the city observatory in Colaba recorded a maximum temperature of 34.0 degrees Celsius and a minimum temperature of 27.0 degrees Celsius. The IMD’s latest Mumbai weather update forecasts a "partly cloudy sky with possibility of light rain" for the city and its suburbs over the next 24 hours. Mumbai weather updates: City's AQI in 'good' category On May 15, the Central Pollution Control Board’s SAMEER app reported in its latest Mumbai weather updates that the city’s air quality remained in the 'good' category, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 88 at 9:05 AM. As per the SAMEER app dashboard, many areas across Mumbai showed 'good' AQI. Borivali recorded 'good' air quality with an AQI of 50. Byculla, Malad and Kandivali recorded 'good' air quality with an AQI of 52, 93 and 49, respectively. Chembur, Sewri and Mulund recorded 'good' air quality, with an AQI of 82, 76 and 63, respectively. Meanwhile, Bandra Kurla Complex recorded 'moderate' air quality, with an AQI of 138. According to data from the SAMEER app, Navi Mumbai recorded air quality in the 'moderate' category with an AQI of 106, while Thane registered a 'good' AQI of 70. The air quality index from 0 to 100 is considered 'good', 100 to 200 'moderate', 200 to 300 'poor', 300 to 400 'very poor' and from 400 to 500 or above 'severe'.
15 May,2025 09:32 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIn a significant development in the consolidated budget document released by Indian Railways on Tuesday evening, a survey of short lines to be built entirely on stilts, from the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) to Khandeshwar on the harbour line and Targhar on the port line has been sanctioned. The document has also sanctioned funds for upgrading the Matheran Hill Railway using hydrogen cell technology. The document — a copy of which is with mid-day — elucidates a final location survey for the short rail lines from the proposed NMIA to Khandeshwar station at a distance of 3.5 km on the existing CSTM-Panvel harbour line for which R7 lakh has been sanctioned. Another such survey has also been sanctioned for short rail lines from NMIA to Targhar station, at a distance of 1.35 km on Nerul/Belapur-Uran rail line at a cost of Rs 3 lakh. These two projects will enhance NMIA’s connectivity with Mumbai’s mainstream suburban railway network. NMIA is expected to begin commercial operations in June 2025. Other works sanctioned Additionally, a final location survey has been sanctioned for a third line between Panvel and Roha (75 km) at a cost of R1.50 crore, along with a survey to connect Dahanu on the suburban network of WR directly with Nashik, for which R2.05 crore has been sanctioned. Hydrogen-powered Matheran Railway The budget document has sanctioned a sum of R70 crore for Central Railway’s hydrogen for heritage infrastructure push. Indian Railways has plans for developing and deploying hydrogen-powered trains, with a focus on heritage and mountainous routes under the ‘Hydrogen for Heritage’ initiative. The first hydrogen-powered train, manufactured by Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, is designed to run on the Jind-Sonipat route and is expected to be operational soon. This initiative aims to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable transportation, with plans to introduce 35 more hydrogen-powered trains by 2025.
15 May,2025 09:23 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. AklekarMaharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the BJP has consistently maintained communication with Raj Thackeray, amid talks of a potential alliance between his MNS and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), reported PTI. "We have spoken to Raj Thackeray before the Lok Sabha elections, before the Assembly elections, and we will speak to him before the corporation elections as well. But I cannot tell you now what the outcome of those talks will be," Fadnavis said at a media event hosted by a Marathi news channel, reported PTI. Fadnavis described Raj Thackeray as a political entity with unique autonomy. "As you know, Raj is like an open university. He has his own statute. Who will or will not get a degree from such an open university cannot be predicted," he said, reported PTI. He said such "open statutes" allow for flexibility. "Those with an open statute can have their own laws and can decide whether to go with anyone. There is hardly any difference between the BJP and the MNS," Fadnavis said, signalling ideological convergence while avoiding a definitive statement on partnership, reported PTI. About the upcoming Maharashtra local body elections in the state, he emphasised the grassroots nature of civic contests. "Corporation elections are always about the party workers. So every party feels it should contest more seats," he said. Fadnavis said, "Today, I cannot tell whether there will be an alliance or not. And there are three of us in the Mahayuti (BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP)," reported PTI. According to political analysts, cousins Raj and Uddhav might be exploring ways to collaborate, particularly in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), where both MNS and Sena (UBT) command influence among Marathi voters, reported PTI. After the assembly polls, which saw the rout of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP (SP), the civic body elections, including in the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), are expected to be another high-stakes contest. Earlier, Raj Thackeray sparked speculation about a potential political rapprochement with his cousin and Uddhav Thackeray, noting their past differences are 'trivial' and uniting for the greater good of 'Marathi manoos' is not a difficult task. To this, Uddhav Thackeray had said that he is ready to put aside trivial fights provided those working against Maharashtra's interests will not be entertained. (With inputs from PTI)
15 May,2025 09:13 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentAmbiguity over reports of possible reunion of the two NCP factions continues. On Wednesday during the Sharad Pawar led NCP party meeting, a worker did demand clarity over talks of merger, but party leaders neither confirmed nor denied, fueling further speculations. Not only Sharad Pawar’s camp, but earlier on Tuesday, even Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar (head of the other NCP faction) while addressing the party meeting mentioned that he has not received any proposal regarding reunification. Sharad Pawar led NCP had called a meeting of party office bearers. In the meeting chaired by state NCP president–Jayant Patil, one of the party office bearers raised reunion talks. One of the senior NCP leaders told mid-day, “The question was asked, but there was no reply or any discussion on the same.” Last week Sharad Pawar in an interview to a newspaper had mentioned that a section of his party workers were in favour of reuniting with the NCP led by Ajit Pawar.Like Shara, his nephew’s Ajit’s statement too has added to speculation. Addressing party workers in Mumbai, Ajit claimed that he has not received any proposal for reunion and that party workers should not get distracted with such talks and continue focusing on their role and work. Earlier, responding to the talks of reunion, Sharad Pawar’s daughter–Supriya Sule, member of parliament from Baramati too had neither denied or confirmed the development. In 1999, Sharad after breaking away from Congress formed his own party–Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The party split in 2023, after Sharad Pawar’s nephew raised a red flag against his uncle. Ajit broke away with a majority of MLAs to join the BJP-Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde camp). In fact, Ajit took the battle to the election commission and court to secure the party’s name and symbol to be allotted to his faction. 1999Year Sharad Pawar broke away from the Congress
15 May,2025 09:09 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentNow, citizens can suggest their ideas for the ‘Viksit (Developed) Maharashtra 2047’ vision document, which is being prepared in line with guidelines set by the NITI Aayog. On Wednesday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis chaired the meeting to discuss the draft structure of the document. In the meeting, Fadnavis instructed senior officials to contribute their expertise to design a draft document that is not only sustainable but also progressive and focused on good governance. “Citizens, too, should be involved in making this important document. Public suggestions and ideas should be invited from citizens,” the CM instructed during the meeting. He also instructed that citizens’ opinions should be gathered through WhatsApp, chatbots and online surveys and suggested a public competition to design the official logo for the vision document. Representatives of McKinsey & Company, which is assisting in the preparation of the document, gave the presentation. The meeting, held at Sahyadri Guest House, included a presentation on the initial draft of the vision document. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik, and secretaries of various departments were present. The first draft is scheduled for submission to the Central government by August 15, 2025, with the final version due by October 2. Aug 15Day first draft is scheduled for submission to Centre Government signs MoU with Blackstone The Maharashtra government and Blackstone signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to set up logistic and industrial parks across industrial hubs and multimodal logistic corridors in the state. According to the MoU, 10 modern logistic parks will be developed in areas such as Nagpur, Bhiwandi and Panvel, with foreign direct investment of R5127 crore, and this is expected to generate nearly 27500 direct and indirect employment opportunities.
15 May,2025 09:03 AM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentThe Bombay High Court has quashed an FIR registered against a retired Mumbai police officer for allegedly insulting the modesty of an airline cabin crew member last year over a dispute concerning a parking spot. A bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and S M Modak on May 8 quashed the case, noting that the dispute was personal and the complainant no longer wished to pursue the matter. An FIR was registered against former deputy commissioner of police Madhukar Sankhe on August 24, 2024, at the Matunga police station based on a complaint filed by the woman following a dispute over a hoarding kept in the complainant’s parking spot in their housing society. Cop talking on wireless. Represenation pics/iStock Sankhe, who retired from the Worli headquarters in 2016, was the secretary of the housing society where the complainant lived. As per the complaint, when the building was undergoing repainting, a signboard from a nearby bank branch had been temporarily placed near the complainant’s parking space, obstructing her car’s movement. When the complainant approached Sankhe on the issue, a quarrel ensued during which it was alleged that Sankhe shouted at her and used inappropriate language. Sankhe later moved HC seeking to quash the case. “The dispute between the parties is purely personal in nature. Both of them are residing in the same society, and they are residing together peacefully as of today. No purpose will be served if the prosecution is continued,” the HC stated. HC stated that the complainant had submitted an affidavit stating there was no longer any animosity between them and she had no objection to the case being quashed. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
15 May,2025 08:52 AM IST | Mumbai | AgenciesA study based on high-resolution satellite imagery to establish forest health at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) has found that low-health forests accounted for 39.52 per cent, healthy forests accounted for 36.51 per cent and very healthy forests accounted for 3.36 per cent of the total area of the park. The study — ‘Assessing Forest Health of Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India’ — was conducted in January 2024 by Dr Ravindra Medhe, with assistance from his student Chaitanya Kolekar, using remote sensing data and GIS software for the analysis. The report was published in IntechOpen on May 8, 2025. SGNP is located in a highly urbanised and ecologically sensitive region. According to the researchers, the integration of remote sensing and GIS techniques using Sentinel-2A satellite data for analysing forest health through key vegetative indices is both timely and methodologically sound. The study excels in its multi-index approach by utilising Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to measures vegetation “greenness” and vigor, Green Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (GNDVI) —similar to NDVI but more sensitive to chlorophyll content and photosynthetic activity — Modified Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (MSAVI) technique — which reduces the influence of bare soil in vegetation analysis — and Moisture Stress Index (MSI) technique which indicates moisture stress in vegetation. Dr Medhe, assistant professor of geoinformatics, Department of Geography, Savitribai Phule Pune University, said, “Particularly commendable is the decision to include MSI to incorporate a hydrological perspective, adding depth to the traditional greenness-based assessments. The weighted overlay method, while only applied to the vegetative indices, provides a robust classification of forest health into three categories: low-health, healthy, and very healthy forests. This classification is clear, intuitive, and relevant for urban forestry management.” The authors of the study also effectively emphasise the impact of urbanisation and moisture stress on forest health, which is a critical concern for conservation planning in metropolitan regions. The study also shows comparisons to similar studies conducted in India and abroad. Moreover, the graphical outputs and index-specific discussions enhance the reader’s understanding of spatial patterns and forest conditions within SGNP. Commenting on the revelations of the study, which indicated that only 3.36 per cent of the total area of SGNP is “very healthy”, Dr Medhe said, “This is not satisfactory, as very healthy forest area is too little. We must work to improve the quality and amount of SGNP forest land. The forest health of SGNP is currently in a fragile state and not fully satisfactory. Immediate and sustained conservation efforts are needed to restore low-health areas and protect the remaining healthy zones.” Questioned about the reason for the fragile state of SGNP, Dr Medhe said, “As a researcher, I recognise the importance of supporting claims with rigorous, multi-temporal, and interdisciplinary data. While the study provides a valuable baseline assessment of forest health in SGNP, it also highlights several areas where further investigation is essential to fully understand the drivers behind the observed forest degradation, based on the existing literature, spatial patterns, and ecological context of SGNP.” 3.36%Forest area classified as very healthy Possible reasons for degradation Urban pressure, encroachment The park’s location within one of the most densely populated metropolitan regions subjects it to continual land-use change, illegal settlements, and infrastructure development Water stress and climate variability Evidence from the Moisture Stress Index in this study, combined with known regional climate variability, suggests that periodic drought and declining groundwater availability could limit forest regeneration and productivity Tourism, human activities SGNP is a forest reserve, tourist attraction, and religious site, which increases footfall and contributes to ecosystem disturbances like trail erosion Limited buffer zone/management challenges A relatively narrow buffer zone and a complex urban-ecological interface present ongoing challenges to forest protection, and long-term planning Invasive species/soil issues Anecdotal observations and prior studies from similar tropical dry deciduous forests suggest the presence of invasive plants and degraded topsoil, especially in human-disturbed zones
15 May,2025 08:42 AM IST | Mumbai | Ranjeet JadhavADVERTISEMENT
