The court directed Mhatre and the other accused to surrender before the authorities by 5 pm on Sunday.

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Saturday cancelled the bail granted to Shiv Sena corporator Ramesh Mhatre and his aides in connection with the alleged assault on doctors, nurses and hospital staff at Shastri Nagar Hospital in Dombivli.The court directed Mhatre and the other accused to surrender before the authorities by 5 pm on Sunday. The matter was heard by the High Court in a suo motu cognisance case. The next hearing has been scheduled for July 22.The case pertains to an alleged attack on healthcare workers at the civic-run hospital on July 6. According to police, Mhatre and his supporters assaulted doctors, nurses and other staff members over an alleged delay in the treatment of a pregnant woman. The incident had triggered widespread condemnation from the medical fraternity and prompted demands for stronger legal protection for healthcare workers.The state unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has called for a 24-hour statewide strike of OPD services in protest against the assault. The IMA has clarified that emergency services, intensive care units (ICUs), maternity services and life-saving treatments will continue without disruption. The association has demanded that the accused be prosecuted without any political interference or protection. The doctors’ body has also sought amendments to the Maharashtra Medicare Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage or Loss to Property) Act, 2010. Among its demands are making offences under the law cognisable and non-bailable, completing investigations within 30 to 60 days, and setting up fast-track courts for such cases. Earlier, a Thane court had granted bail to Mhatre after his police custody ended and he was remanded to judicial custody. During the hearing, police opposed the bail plea, citing several criminal cases registered against him in the past. Defence counsel A.Y. Patki argued that Mhatre had either been acquitted or the proceedings had been quashed in most of those cases, with only one case currently pending. Sources had said the 72-year-old corporator was admitted to Thane Civil Hospital due to health concerns after being sent to judicial custody. He is reportedly suffering from kidney and prostate-related ailments and was kept under medical supervision. Reacting to the controversy, Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde had said the party had already served a show-cause notice on Mhatre. “Action has been taken against those responsible. No one has been shielded. The police have acted in accordance with the law,” he had said. The assault had earlier led to a two-day suspension of routine OPD services at civic-run hospitals across the Kalyan-Dombivli region as doctors staged protests against the attack.(With Agency Inputs)

Kalyan: More than 4.6 lakh electricity consumers in Kalyan, Dombivli, Ulhasnagar and Badlapur were left without power on Friday evening after the 220 kV Padgha-PAL transmission line tripped around 7.40 pm, disrupting electricity supply across several suburban areas. Power was restored after a little over 2 hours at 10 pm.According to the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), restoration work was taken up immediately, but continuous rain is affecting restoration work, and power supply is expected to resume soon.The outage severely affected Kalyan East division, where nearly 3.25 lakh consumers lost electricity. The affected areas include Sonarpada, Casa Rio, Casa Bella, Netivali (partially), Epic, Downtown, Lakeshore, Usatane and Lodha Premier after multiple 22 kV feeders went out of service.In Ulhasnagar, around 1.12 lakh consumers were impacted after the tripping affected Gaikwadpada, Ashelpada and Anandnagar switching stations, besides all 22 kV feeders supplied from the Anandnagar Extra High Voltage (EHV) substation.The disruption also extended to Badlapur, where around 27,000 consumers were affected after the outage hit the Poddar Switching station and the 22 kV Mankivali feeder supplied from Kharvai Switching.MSEDCL officials said technical teams were deployed immediately to restore supply on a war footing. Engineers are working to rectify the fault and restore electricity to all affected consumers at the earliest, but due to continuous rain, it is taking time making restoration work difficult.CR Mishra, chief executive engineer of Kalyan Division, said, “Our technical teams were deployed immediately to restore supply on a war footing. Engineers were working to rectify the fault and restore electricity to all affected consumers at the earliest, which took some extra time due to continuous rain.”

Mumbai: Not just BMC’s 12-acre plot housing the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Sports Complex in Andheri (W), the Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal has recently been allotted two open spaces measuring close to four acres in all by Mhada in Juhu and D N Nagar. The allotment is for three years on a ‘caretaker and beautification’ basis.One of the plots is the Lokmanya Tilak Udyan in Juhu, currently maintained by BMC and used by local residents. While Mhada has issued an NOC to the Kelavani Mandal for ‘utilising’ this plot, the other plot, in D N Nagar, has been earmarked for an edutainment theme park but a part of it has been allotted to the Mandal.While tenders were issued for the Andheri (W) plot and it was leased, there were no tenders for the two plots given by Mhada.Mumbai BJP president and MLA Ameet Satam, who objected to the leasing of the Andheri (W) facility by BMC, has written to Mhada asking it to cancel the two “illegal” allotments.Satam said this kind of allotment will set a wrong precedent in the city, where use and utilization of reserved open spaces should be the right and privilege of all irrespective of one’s social or economic status and not restricted to a few.BJP MLC Amrish Patel, president and trustee of Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal, said there are no irregularities in the allotment of the plots and they were given by Mhada in a transparent manner and due process was followed. “We will utilise these plots for creating sports facilities for our students. There will be no construction, and the plots will only be used for sports purposes,” Patel said.Satam said in his letter to Mhada vice-president and chief executive officer Sanjeev Jaiswal and chief officer Milind Borkar, “Mhada has given NOC to Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal for utilization of Lokmanya Tilak Ground which is in a Mhada layout but in possession of BMC, which is completely illegal as Mhada has no such rights to give utilization (sic) of reserved open space of the city to one particular organization or trust. Any city’s reserved open space should be for utilization of the public at large. Kindly cancel your wrongful allotment of said plots to Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal and not cause any hindrance to the ongoing public project. I trust that you will take an informed decision in the interest of open spaces of the city.”Jaiswal and Borikar did not respond to queries from TOI.Satam further said in his letter, “The plot is commonly known as Mhada cement godown for making (an) edutainment theme park. While the work on this project is in progress, Mhada has allotted a part of the plot on which the transit camp was existing to Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal for making a sports facility. All reserved open spaces of the city are property of the public at large, and these should not be given to any private individual, trust or organization for its restricted use. The edutainment theme park is a public project from public funds and the part of land where the transit camp was existing is proposed to be an underground parking lot and an open ground and walking track for the entire public and not for restricted use.”Filmmaker Ashok Pandit, who is chairman of Gulmohar Area Societies Welfare Group, Juhu, said, “All these are govt lands and must be maintained by govt. In the past, all such plots given to private parties have been usurped and turned into private clubs and estates. Open spaces must not be given to private parties. Once the trust takes over, local residents won’t be given access, and the land will become a private open space used only by the trust’s schools and colleges. It is the duty of BMC and Mhada to maintain open spaces. These plots are being given away secretly without informing the public. The CM must intervene and stop this takeover of open spaces.”He added, “The BMC and Mhada are spending so much money on various projects, so there is no reason they can’t maintain open spaces.”

Mumbai: Shortly after deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s death in Jan, the NCP (SP)’s Jayant Patil had revealed that talks on a merger with the NCP had reached the final stage, and that the proposal had come from the late leader. However, at the time, senior NCP politicians Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare had denied it. On Thursday, Tatkare finally admitted that merger talks had indeed reached their final stage when Pawar was alive.As talks of a merger have resurfaced, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule responded by saying she had felt hurt when the “other side” had denied the talks had taken place and that NCP (SP) had its self-respect and had moved on that very day.“The merger was my brother’s last wish. On the day he passed away, our leaders spoke of this in the discussions. But those on the other side said nothing like this had taken place. I felt extremely sad and hurt,” Sule said on Friday.She said the NCP (SP) decided the merger was over on that very day. “My brother had passed away and we were trying to fulfil his last wish because the proposal had come from him. That’s why we ended the issue on that very day. We are self-respecting people. When I realized that the other side does not want to fulfil his wish, we moved on and got busy in the service of the state and the country,” she said.Significantly, Tatkare had said that talks of a merger had indeed come to a halt, but it was because the NCP (SP) had declared the discussion was over and there was no new proposal from the latter.On the issue of NCP (SP)’s likely support for the NDA govt’s delimitation bill, Sule said, “I have already expressed my views on this. The bill is not yet in front of us. How can I say anything more?”Commenting on Jayant Patil’s meeting with deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday, Sule said, “We are public representatives. We promote their interests. What is wrong if we meet various ministers and leaders in this connection?”

Mumbai: The abrupt shutdown of MT Educare centres, popularly known as Mahesh Tutorials, which was acquired by Zee Learn in 2018, was not a case in isolation. Last year, several centres of FIIT-JEE across the country wound up their operations allegedly due to the financial crisis.Coaching industry experts claimed that the sector has reached some saturation point, with the mushrooming of local players making it increasingly difficult to sustain large coaching chains. Institutes are managed on the reputation and teaching quality of their faculty – once popular teachers leave, retaining students becomes challenging, they added.Teachers and parents, however, claimed that such institutions should not enrol students when they want to shut shop. Stakeholders called for a stringent regulatory framework to protect the interest of students and teachers, to avoid such cases in future.While officials from MT Educare remained unavailable for comment a day after parents sought govt’s intervention, industry representatives claimed that the company had been witnessing a decline over the past few years, with several centres shutting down over a period of time.Speaking to TOI, Mahesh Shetty, the founder of Mahesh Tutorials, said that he had stepped down from his position at MT Educare, in 2019, a year after Zee Learn acquired it. “My resignation was accepted in April 2020, and since then I am not associated with the company,” he added.Shetty had started Mahesh Tutorials in 1988 with a few centres and expanded it to about 250 in a period of three decades. It ventured into junior colleges in its later years, was the first to launch an edTech and learning app in 2015, and also successfully launched its IPO in 2012. The company was in need of investment, when Zee Learn acquired it in 2018. A year later, he stepped down.Maharashtra Class Owners’ Association president Prajesh Trotsky recalled that one centre in Malad had shut down about two years ago, while another in Palghar stopped operations around 10 days ago. “Mahesh Shetty Sir was an educator, and once he was no longer associated with Mahesh Tutorials, the brand gradually lost its value,” he said.According to Trotksy, the biggest mistake was accepting advance fees. “Parents should have been informed in advance if there were operational issues,” he said.He said though the coaching sector itself remains robust, growth has stagnated. “The sector is not in trouble. There is some saturation because the number of coaching institutes has increased significantly. Many teachers from established institutes have started their own classes,” he said, adding that managing multiple branches involves substantial overheads. He also pointed to the rise of online learning, which he estimated has captured 5%-10% of the market, particularly among self-motivated students.Arihant Academy, another institute, has accommodated over 1,000 students from MT Educare and a parent told TOI that classes already commenced on Wednesday. “Around 90-95% of the affected students who approached us have already resumed their classes. We are not seeking fees from students who have already paid full fees, for the rest, we are asking for the balance amount,” said director Anil Kapasi, Arihant Academy.The academy is also planning counselling sessions for students, particularly those in Classes 10 and 12 as well as JEE and NEET aspirants, to help them cope with the sudden disruption.“The abrupt suspension of MT Educare centres across Maharashtra has left over 2,500 students in severe anxiety mid-session, reflecting a systemic fragility previously witnessed in the FIITJEE crisis. While the immediate, fee-free accommodation of affected students by Arihant Academy is highly commendable, temporary peer transfers cannot substitute for institutional stability,” said Keshawkumar Jha, senior educator, co-ordinator (Konkan division), Regional Teachers’ Organisation.“Moving forward, state authorities must stringently monitor these academic transitions to protect student welfare and prevent further cognitive disruption. Ultimately, the state must enforce a transparent regulatory framework—including mandatory escrow accounts—to secure advance fees, protect faculty livelihoods, and prevent commercial mismanagement from derailing our youth,” Jha added.The rise and fall of Mahesh Tutorials (a Zee Learn enterprise since 2018-19):* Mahesh Tutorials was founded by Mahesh Shetty in 1988 for higher secondary students* It underwent restructuring in late 2000s as MT Educare* It secured private equity funding in and launched a successful IPO in 2012* Lakshya was an IIT enterprise, which was acquired by MT Educare, and junior colleges were set up in collaboration in other states, including Karnataka and Telangana* In 2018, Zee Learn acquired majority stakes in the company. At that time, the company had around 250 centres across the country* In 2019, Shetty stepped down from the company. His resignation was accepted in April 2020* In 2022, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) admitted MT Educare into insolvency proceedings* While the total numbers of existing centres is unclear, according to the website they have over 90 centres. Parents, however, claimed that there are about 33 centres* Early this week, parents in the remaining centres were called and informed about the shutdownTotal coaching centres in Mumbai: 30,000Total coaching centres in Maharashtra: Around a lakhTotal centres about a decade ago: 15,000

Mumbai: Ahead of the FIFA World Cup final, the Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India) (HRAWI) has written to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis seeking permission for permit rooms and bars in licensed hotels and restaurants across the state to remain open until 3.30am on Monday for the live telecast of the match.The request comes amid growing enquiries from customers wanting to watch the match at hotels and restaurants. The sporting event, is expected to attract football enthusiasts, domestic tourists and international visitors. If approved, the relaxation would be a one-time exemption from existing operating hour restrictions and would apply only to licensed hospitality establishments.A senior govt official said as of now, there was no permission from the authorities. According to sources, the govt may give an eleventh hour relief after assessing the safety and security aspects on the ground.HRAWI president Jimmy Shaw said, “The FIFA World Cup Final is a truly global sporting spectacle that brings people together across cultures and borders. Allowing a one-time extension of operating hours for licensed hotel and restaurant bars will enable patrons to enjoy the match in a safe, regulated and professionally managed environment while also supporting tourism and the hospitality sector,” said Shaw.The association has pointed out that Karnataka and Assam have granted similar one-time relaxations for licensed hospitality establishments during previous FIFA World Cup finals while maintaining public safety, law and order, excise compliance and licensing conditions. It has also submitted similar representations to the governments of Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.HRAWI spokesperson Pradeep Shetty said existing restrictions prevent licensed hotel bars from serving guests for the entire duration of late-night global sporting events, even as several other categories of businesses are permitted to operate round the clock.The association has assured the state government that participating establishments would comply with all licensing conditions, excise rules, police directives, public safety measures, crowd management protocols and noise control norms if the request is approved.