After the Luthra brothers were brought to Goa, a local court on Wednesday remanded Gaurav and Saurabh in police custody for five days, news agency PTI reported. The co-owners of the 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub, who were brought on transit remand from Delhi after being deported from Thailand in connection with the December 6 blaze that killed 25, were produced in the court after undergoing health check-ups twice at the District Hospital in North Goa. The Judicial Magistrate (First Class), Mapusa, Puja Sardesai, remanded the two brothers in police custody for five days. Advocate Vishnu Joshi, representing Bhavana Joshi, who lost four family members in the tragedy, said that the accused were asking for “special consideration”, claiming poor health, PTI reported. Joshi asserted, “We said they should not be given any extra relaxation.” He further added that the court has taken cognisance of the fact that this is about the death of 25 people in the form of mass genocide." “But since they kept pressing for a medical check-up, the court ordered a reexamination of their health. It is clear in the medical examination that they don't require any consideration. The accused sought special considerations in the lock-up, like a good mattress, which the court refused,” he added. A team of Goa Police, along with the Luthra brothers, arrived at the Manohar International Airport, Mopa, in North Goa at 10.45 am on Wednesday. They were initially taken to a primary health centre at Siolim for medical examination, and from there to the district hospital at Mapusa, PTI reported. After their medical examination, the two were brought to the court. The court directed that the accused be sent for a fresh medical examination. Accordingly, the two were again taken to the district hospital. Later, they were produced before Judge Sardesai, who sent the duo to five-day police custody. After the fire tragedy at Arpora village, the Anjuna Police had registered a case against the Luthra brothers for various charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Luthra brothers were detained in Thailand The Luthra brothers were earlier arrested in Delhi on Tuesday after being deported from Thailand. A court in Delhi allowed the Goa Police their two-day transit remand. The duo had fled to Phuket in Thailand early on December 7, hours after the fire at their nightclub, prompting the authorities to issue an Interpol Blue Corner Notice and cancel their passports. They were detained by the Thai authorities at Phuket on December 11 following a request from the Indian government, which later coordinated with officials in Thailand to deport them under legal treaties between the two nations. (With inputs from PTI)
17 December,2025 09:49 PM IST | Goa | mid-day online correspondentPrime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi arrived in Oman on Wednesday on the final leg of his three-nation, four-day tour after concluding his visits to Jordan and Ethiopia. Earlier in the day, Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed Ali accorded a rare honour to Modi by personally driving him to the airport for his departure to Oman, news agency ANI reported. In a post on social media, the Ethiopian PM said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, I hope we will get an opportunity to meet again. Our nations will always be connected by historical, cultural and diplomatic ties." After concluding his visit to Ethiopia, PM Modi went to Oman at the invitation of Sultan Haitham bin Tarik. During the visit, the two leaders are expected to hold discussions on strengthening the strategic partnership and expanding cooperation in commercial and economic sectors, ANI reported. PM Modi’s Oman visit coincides with India and Oman marking the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The visit follows the state visit of Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to India in December 2023. PM Modi to address members of Indian diaspora in Oman Furthermore, PM Modi is scheduled to address members of the Indian diaspora in Oman. This will be his second visit to the Gulf nation. In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said, "This visit will be an opportunity for both sides to comprehensively review the bilateral partnership, including in the areas of trade, investment, energy, defence, security, technology, agriculture and culture, as well as exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest." PM Modi's Ethiopia visit was his first to the East African nation, marking a key moment in bilateral relations as India and Ethiopia elevated their long-standing ties to the level of a 'strategic partnership'. The visit featured wide-ranging discussions between the Indian PM and Ethiopia's Ali, followed by the exchange of several memoranda of understanding across multiple sectors. Furthermore, these agreements spanned cooperation in UN Peacekeeping Operations Training, Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters and the establishment of a data centre at Ethiopia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Moreover, both the sides announced several measures, including debt restructuring under the G20 framework, an increase in Indian Council for Cultural Relations scholarships, AI short courses for Ethiopians, and collaboration in maternal and neonatal healthcare. (With inputs from ANI)
17 December,2025 09:23 PM IST | Muscat | mid-day online correspondentThe Bombay High Court on Wednesday permitted human rights activist Gautam Navlakha, accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, to shift to his house in Delhi, but said he will have to appear before the special NIA court here for the trial hearings as and when required. A bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Shyam Chandak said Navlakha shall appear every Saturday before the local police station in Delhi to mark his presence, surrender his passport and not leave Delhi without prior permission from the special court. "The applicant (Navlakha) will appear before the special court when the charges are framed and then he shall attend every date as required or directed by the special court until and unless he is exempted by the court," the HC said. Navlakha's counsel, Yug Chaudhary, sought relaxation of the condition to appear before the local police station once every week to once every month, submitting to the court that as of now he appears only once a month. The bench, however, refused, saying Navlakha was entitled to his liberty, but he was not a free man yet. On Tuesday, the court orally remarked that Navlakha was not a "flight risk" as there have not been any instances where he tried to escape. The HC granted bail to Navlakha in the case in 2023, but a condition was imposed on him that he shall not leave Mumbai without prior permission from the trial court. This year, he filed an application before the special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court seeking permission to stay in Delhi, as it is his hometown. The court, however, refused the plea, following which he moved the HC. In his plea, Navlakha said the trial in the case was not likely to commence soon and that he cannot afford to live in Mumbai anymore. The NIA has accused Navlakha of being a co-conspirator who was involved in propagating Maoist activities and ideology under the instructions of leaders of the banned organisation, the CPI (Maoist). The case relates to inciting people and giving provocative speeches during an Elgar Parishad event organised by the Kabir Kala Manch at Shaniwarwada in Pune on December 31, 2017, which promoted enmity between various caste groups and led to violence resulting in loss of life and property and statewide agitation in Maharashtra. Initially, the Pune police registered a case in 2018 alleging that the accused were involved in provocative speeches triggering violence at Koregaon-Bhima in Pune district the next day. The case was later taken over by the NIA. The Elgar Parishad case has seen the arrest of 16 persons, including prominent lawyers, activists, and academicians, accused of furthering the cause of the banned CPI (Maoist). 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
17 December,2025 09:07 PM IST | Mumbai | PTIA Delhi court rejected the anticipatory bail plea of a man accused of securing enrolment as an advocate with the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) on the basis of a forged law degree and fabricated documents. Additional Sessions Judge Shunali Gupta, who was hearing the plea filed by advocates K Rajan and Kartik Chettiav on behalf of J Vansanthan, denied the relief, saying the allegations against Vansanthan were serious and that custodial interrogation may be required to unearth a larger conspiracy. In an order dated December 15, the court said, "Considering the totality of facts and circumstances and taking note of the serious allegations not just against the applicant herein but others named in the investigation who run a syndicate in facilitating enrolment in the Bar Council on the basis of fake documents." "In order to unearth the conspiracy behind and to reach out to other members of the syndicate, custodial interrogation of the applicant may be needed. Therefore, at this stage, I do not find any grounds for the grant of anticipatory bail", the judge added. Vansanthan was accused of obtaining enrolment with the Bar Council of Delhi by submitting a fake LLB degree and marksheet and was subsequently suspended from practising law after a verification revealed that the documents were forged. Seeking anticipatory bail, Vansanthan had told the court that he had completed his law graduation from Bhartiya Shiksha Parishad, Uttar Pradesh, and had sought enrolment with the BCD through intermediaries. He said that he had paid Rs 95,000 in cash to two persons for facilitating his enrolment and later discovered that the documents purportedly issued by Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, had been submitted without his knowledge. Rejecting the bail, the court noted that the accused has not graduated in law from Bundelkhand University but has studied from Bhartiya Shiksha Parishad, and as on date the same has not been recognised by the education department as a university affiliated and recognised to give law degrees. The FIR was registered against Vansanthan on October 8, 2025, at the Hauz Khas police station. 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.
17 December,2025 08:39 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIIn a significant boost to wildlife conservation efforts, two rescued Indian giant squirrels, also known as 'Shekru', were successfully rehabilitated and released back into the wild last week on December 13. Shekru, the state animal of Maharashtra, was released jointly by the Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) and the Maharashtra Forest Department, an official said. The two giant squirrels were rescued in separate incidents by the forest department and later handed over to RAWW for specialised medical care and rehabilitation. Both the animals were found to be suffering from health complications at the time of rescue. In a major boost to wildlife conservation, two rescued Indian Giant Squirrels were successfully rehabilitated and released back into the wild by RAWW in coordination with the Forest Department after months of dedicated medical care.Also known as Shekru and recognised as… pic.twitter.com/BFfIrycPaq — Mid Day (@mid_day) December 17, 2025 Pawan Sharma, founder and president of RAWW, speaking to mid-day.com about the rescue, said, “Our dedicated team of veterinarians and wildlife rehabilitators treated the squirrels at our rehabilitation facility. After nearly three months of continuous care, monitoring and rehabilitation, they were declared fit for reintroduction into their natural habitat.” Indian Giant Squirrels are known as 'Shekru' in Marathi and were declared the state animal of Maharashtra by the government. The species plays a vital role in forest ecosystems by aiding seed dispersal. They are currently facing threat and extinction due to habitat loss and fragmentation in their native range. Such successful rehabilitation efforts highlight the importance of collaboration between wildlife organisations and government agencies in conserving endangered and threatened species.
17 December,2025 08:38 PM IST | Mumbai | Ranjeet JadhavOfficials from Balbharati, the Maharashtra government’s body responsible for producing and publishing state board school textbooks, conducted a raid on Wednesday at a printing press in Nagpur and found textbooks being illegally printed, reported the PTI. The action followed a tip-off about the printing of duplicate textbooks at Pratibha Printing Press, located in the Digdoh area of Hingna MIDC. During the inspection, officials discovered 10,000 to 30,000 illegally printed textbooks of Balbharati. While Balbharati’s production officer, Rajesh Potdukhe, estimated the quantity to be between 10,000 and 20,000, the sales store manager in Nagpur, Dilip Witkar, suggested the number could be as high as 30,000, according to the PTI. Complaint being filed The officials on Wednesday said that a complaint is being lodged and further investigations are underway. The incident highlights concerns about counterfeit educational material in the state. About Balbharati Balbharati – formally known as the Maharashtra State Bureau of Textbook Production and Curriculum Research – is an autonomous government institution. It develops, publishes, and distributes textbooks and educational resources for Classes 1 to 12 in Maharashtra, catering to Marathi, English, Hindi, and Urdu medium schools. Mumbai Police raids 9 travel agencies, seizes 238 passports in job-fraud probe Meanwhile, in a different case, earlier this month, Mumbai Police conducted raids on as many as nine travel agency offices in the Nagpada area of the city after receiving inputs on overseas employment allegedly without proper government permission, officials had earlier said. The raids were conducted jointly by Mumbai Crime Branch and Protector of Emigrants (POE) after receiving reports that several operators were also allegedly misleading people with false promises, they said. According to the officials, during the searches, cops recovered 238 Indian passports along with employment letters, logbooks, rubber stamps, visiting cards and various forms commonly used for overseas recruitment. All items have been seized for further investigation. The action followed a complaint from the POE office in Bandra, which reported that multiple travel agencies were operating as unauthorised recruitment agents. Officials said these operators had allegedly been collecting money from job-seekers and offering foreign placements without the necessary licence from the Ministry of External Affairs. A joint team of the Crime Branch and POE carried out the operation. An offence has been registered at Nagpada Police Station under Sections 318(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 10 and 24 of the Immigration Act, 1983. The investigation is ongoing to identify affected complainants and uncover the full extent of the suspected job-fraud racket. (with PTI inputs)
17 December,2025 08:36 PM IST | Nagpur | mid-day online correspondentA fire broke out at a chemical factory in the Makhinga village of Palsana, Surat, in Gujarat on Wednesday, news agency ANI reported. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot, and efforts to control the fire are underway, a fire officer said. Fire Officer Rishi Soni, while speaking to the media on Wednesday, stated, "A call was received this morning about a fire in a chemical factory. The fire tenders were immediately deployed on the spot. The efforts to douse the fire are underway. The cause of the fire is unknown." The firefighters have launched an operation to bring the fire under control, ANI reported. Further details are awaited. Fire breaks out in Gujarat's Valsad; no injuries reported In a similar incident in Gujarat, a massive fire was reported on December 12 at a plastics raw material company in Valsad, prompting local authorities to deploy multiple fire tenders to douse the blaze. Visuals from the Tumb village in Umbergaon taluka, Valsad, showed multiple firefighting officials carrying water containers to douse the flames engulfing the godown. While no casualties were reported in the incident, firefighting operations were carried out with at least six fire tenders on site. A day before on December 11, a fire was reported at a godown in Gujarat's Surat. Surat Chief Fire Officer Basantkumar Pareek told the media, "Wooden items, used in weddings, are stored here. Flammable materials like mattresses, cushions and PVC chairs are also here. We are making efforts to ensure that the fire doesn't spread." The fire officer added, “About 50 fire personnel carried out the operation, and no casualties were reported.” Fire breaks out at Kandivali industrial unit in Mumbai On Tuesday, a fire broke out at the Perfect Paper Corn Company in the Charkop area of Mumbai’s Kandivali West. The incident was reported to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC’s) fire brigade at 2.37 pm. The fire, confined to electric wiring, installations, and paints, affected an area of approximately 3000 square feet on the ground floor of the ground-plus-one-floor building. The Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) declared the blaze a Level-1 fire at 3.02 pm. Several agencies, including MFB, police, Adani Power, 108 ambulance service, and ward staff, were mobilised. No injuries were reported in the incident, officials said. (With inputs from ANI)
17 December,2025 08:18 PM IST | Surat | mid-day online correspondentIn a major crackdown, the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday arrested an alleged notorious drug peddler and recovered cocaine worth over Rs 10 crore from his rented house in the Goripora area of Srinagar, news agency PTI reported. The officers, while briefing the media about the seizure, informed that the arrest was made during the investigation of a case registered in Ganderbal district. The accused has been identified as Maqsood Hussain Khan, the officers said. Furthermore, a police spokesperson, while shedding light on the operation, highlighted, "During searches conducted at his rented accommodation on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, police recovered two packets of a cocaine-like substance, weighing approximately one kilogram, valued at more than Rs 10 crore in the international illicit drug market." He also added that “a vehicle, several mobile phones and other electronic gadgets were also seized from the house". Jammu Kashmir Police carry out inspections at hospitals Earlier on November 22, authorities in Kashmir on Friday continued the ongoing inspection drive, checking lockers of doctors and medical staff across hospitals in the Ganderbal and Kupwara districts under the enhanced security measures, officials said. In line with the ongoing efforts to strengthen security and “maintain a safe and accountable environment within healthcare institutions”, police in Ganderbal carried out a surprise checking of lockers belonging to doctors and staff members at various hospitals across the central Kashmir district, they said. The aim of the exercise was to prevent any misuse of hospital premises, curb illegal activities, and reinforce institutional discipline, they added. The exercise is part of broader measures after the recent blast in Delhi and recovery of arms and ammunition in the ‘white collar terror module.’ Earlier on November 14, during a joint operation launched by the Police and Security Forces in Moominabad, two hybrid terrorists were arrested, said the Kashmir Zone Police on Thursday. Kashmir Zone Police identified the terrorists as Shabir Najar and Shabir Mir. The police also recovered arms, ammunition, and incriminating materials. The investigation is currently ongoing, officials said. Earlier, the Pulwama Police on Thursday carried out coordinated Cordon and Search Operations (CASOs) at multiple suspected locations across the district as part of its ongoing campaign against anti-national elements, including Jammu and Kashmir residents operating from Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (JKNOP), and other subversive networks, said the release. (With inputs from PTI and ANI)
17 December,2025 07:45 PM IST | Srinagar | mid-day online correspondentA district court in Nashik issued an arrest warrant against Maharashtra Sports Minister and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Manikrao Kokate on Wednesday in connection with a cheating and forgery case dating back to 1995, reported the PTI. The warrant followed a day after the sessions court upheld the two-year prison sentence awarded to him by a magistrate’s court earlier this year. The arrest warrant was issued after Anjali Dighole-Rathod, daughter of the original complainant and former Maharashtra minister late T S Dighole, filed an application seeking Kokate’s arrest. Kokate was not present during the proceedings, according to the PTI. Nashik District and Sessions Court Judge P M Badar directed Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Rupali Nadvadia to take action, following which the arrest warrant was issued. Nashik police are expected to initiate further proceedings, the news agency reported. Kokate moves Bombay High Court, hearing on Friday Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Kokate approached the Bombay High Court challenging his conviction and sentence. His counsel, Aniket Nikam, sought an urgent hearing before a single bench of Justice R N Laddha. While the plea was mentioned, the court scheduled the hearing for Friday and did not pass any interim order, as no immediate stay on the conviction was sought, as per the PTI. The High Court indicated it would consider Kokate’s plea seeking suspension of the conviction at the next hearing. Background of the case against Maharashtra minister The case relates to the alleged submission of forged documents by Kokate and his brother Vijay Kokate to obtain flats under a state government housing quota meant for the Low Income Group (LIG). According to the prosecution, the brothers falsely claimed that they belonged to the economically weaker section and did not own any residential property in Nashik. The flats were allotted in 1994 under the chief minister’s 10 per cent discretionary quota in the College Road and Vise Mala areas of Nashik. Conviction On February 20 this year, a magistrate’s court convicted Kokate and his brother and sentenced them to two years’ imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 50,000 each. While two other accused in the same case were acquitted, the Kokate brothers were found guilty of cheating and forgery. In March, a sessions court stayed the conviction and granted bail pending appeal. However, on Tuesday, the sessions court upheld the magistrate’s order, observing that Kokate had “dishonestly induced” the state government to allot him a flat meant for economically weaker sections, and noted that he was a “prosperous” farmer at the time. The sessions court upheld convictions under Indian Penal Code Sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for cheating), and 471 (using forged documents), while granting partial acquittal under Sections 467 and 474. Political implications Asked about Kokate’s status as an MLA following the conviction, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar said he had not yet received a certified copy of the court order. Kokate’s counsel told the High Court that the conviction could result in the loss of his ministerial position. (with PTI inputs)
17 December,2025 07:25 PM IST | Nashik (Maharashtra) | mid-day online correspondentSeveral Opposition MPs on Wednesday protested in Parliament premises over the National Herald case. The Congress MPs hold posters bearing the slogan "Satyamev Jayate; Truth prevails!". Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also took part in a protest against the goverment doing vendetta Politics in the National Herald. Earlier today, Karnataka Congress leaders also staged protests near the Gandhi statue at Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi against the Central government over the National Herald case and the decision to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) as VB-G Ram G. During the protest, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said the National Herald was closely linked to India's freedom movement. "The National Herald is the pride of the country, established by Jawaharlal Nehru during the freedom movement," he said, questioning the actions of central agencies in the case. "Justice has prevailed. BJP should stop this vindictive politics," Shivakumar added. Meanwhile, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge alleged that the National Herald case was being pursued with "political vendetta" by the ruling government, asserting that the matter was aimed solely at harassing the Gandhi family. Addressing the media on the issue, Kharge said there was no basis to the allegations and claimed that no First Information Report (FIR) had been registered in the case. "They are doing this for a political vendetta. This case is only to trouble the Gandhi family. There is no FIR in this case...Our slogan is 'Satyamev Jayate', and we welcome the judgment in the case," Kharge said. On Tuesday, the Delhi court declined to take cognisance of the Enforcement Directorate's prosecution complaint in the National Herald money-laundering case, holding that proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) are not maintainable in the absence of an FIR for the scheduled (predicate) offence. 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.
17 December,2025 07:08 PM IST | New Delhi [India] | ANITaking a serious note of the severe air pollution levels in Delhi-NCR, the Supreme Court of India on Wednesday issued a slew of directions and asked the NHAI and the MCD to consider either temporarily closing or relocating the nine toll plazas at borders of the national capital, news agency PTI reported. The step has been proposed to ease usual massive traffic congestion. Describing the pollution crisis as an "annual feature", the apex court called for pragmatic solutions to tackle the menace. The Supreme Court, however, refused to interfere with the Delhi Government's decision to close schools for students from nursery to Class 5, holding that no further tinkering was required as the winter break was already approaching, PTI reported. In an effort to ease vehicular congestion at Delhi's borders, a bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant asked the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to consider shifting or temporarily closing nine toll plazas located at entry points to the capital. Furthermore, the civic corporation was specifically directed to take a decision within one week on whether these toll plazas could be shut temporarily to facilitate smoother traffic flow and reduce vehicular emissions, PTI reported. The bench underscored the need for effective implementation of existing measures rather than merely framing protocols that are not complied with. During arguments, the Chief Justice asserted, "Let us think of pragmatic and practical solutions to the menace." The CJI further noted that while preventive mechanisms exist, their enforcement has been consistently weak. Taking note of the impact of pollution-related restrictions on livelihood, the bench directed the Delhi Government to urgently verify construction workers rendered idle due to curbs and ensure that financial assistance is directly transferred to their bank accounts. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Delhi Government, informed the bench that around 7000 workers have so far been verified out of nearly 2.5 lakh registered construction workers and assured that money would be transferred to their accounts directly. However, the bench cautioned against any leakages in the process, while stating that "it should not be that money transferred to workers' accounts disappears or travels to another account". The apex court has also asked the Delhi Government to consider providing alternative work to construction workers who are unable to earn due to restrictions imposed to curb pollution. Moreover, the Supreme Court of India has directed CAQM and NCR governments to examine critical issues such as urban mobility, traffic management, and incentivising farmers to prevent stubble burning, stressing that piecemeal approaches would not resolve the crisis. (With inputs from PTI)
17 December,2025 06:42 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
-1765974403465_d.png "Delhi High Court. File Pic")
