NCP leader Nawab Malik was granted two-month interim bail, over a year after he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case registered over the Goawala compound property in Kurla, allegedly linked to fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim. The decision brings with it speculation over which side of the fractured NCP he will join.
It remains to be seen if Malik, a strong voice against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), will remain with mentor and NCP chief Sharad Pawar or join the government with Dy CM Ajit Pawar in a government allied with BJP.
Following are the other important updates from Mumbai and Maharashtra in the past week (August 7-13):
Rains wipe out BMC’s concretisation assurances as potholes appear
🔴 The BMC’s concretisation promises fell flat as civic data showed that this year so far, the city has recorded the highest number of potholes in last three years. This comes amid a cost escalation in pothole-filling work.
🔴 The pothole problem reached the High Court’s doors, as at least six municipal corporation officials, along with the commissioner of MMRDA, were summoned to explain why contempt should not be issued against them for disobedience and non-compliance of orders pertaining to potholes, manholes and bad roads.
🔴 The Court further said that the cause of deaths of pedestrians or cyclists falling in manholes or potholes is “man-made” and not a natural cause, directed an immediate inspection through a spot survey and a report on the same within three weeks.
Training firing: RPF constable booked for promoting enmity
Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable Chetan Singh was slapped with Section 153A after a forensic examination of various video clips, purportedly showing him making “hate comments”, confirmed it was him.
Forensic ballistic examination of the gun allegedly used by Singh to fire in the Jaipur-Mumbai train, which resulted in four deaths, will serve as key evidence.
Meanwhile, a court refused permission to conduct three scientific tests (brain mapping, narco-analysis, polygraph tests) on Singh. The court also sent the accused constable into judicial custody.
On the political front
The yatras: The two groups of the NCP are all set to tour the state in a bid to reaffirm the dominance of their respective sides. The Congress, meanwhile, will conduct a padayatra from August 16 till August 31.
NCP: Sharad Pawar assured the Pune unit of the party he will not join hands with the BJP as he urged them to continue working, even as his meeting with Ajit Pawar raised eyebrows. Read Shubhangi Khapre’s analysis on why Modi acknowledged Sharad Pawar was PM material
All well between CM, Dy CM? The cold-war between CM Eknath Shinde and newly sworn-in Deputy CM Ajit Pawar seems to be escalating, as indicated by the latter being asked to preside over the flag-hoisting ceremony in Kolhapur district on Independence Day, instead of his home district Pune. The NCP leader denied any such bitterness even as Shinde, who was supposed to attend the much-awaited inauguration of the Chandani Chowk flyover in Pune, skipped the event.
Other important news this week:
Photo of the week
News to watch out for next week: