Mumbai: The Shiv Sena’s act of blaming municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide and seeking her resignation for two monsoon-related deaths in 48 hours has exposed the faultlines within the Mahayuti in the BMC. Political observers said the Sena is getting back at Bhide and the BJP for making it play second fiddle in the BMC despite being in the governing alliance and added that Bhide too has failed to perform a political balancing act.Deputy mayor Sanjay Ghadi of the Eknath Shinde-led Sena demanded Bhide’s resignation on Thursday.The Sena has been given some key posts in the BMC, but has no say in any financial decisions, policies or transfers of officials. With BMC in the dock over back-to-back deaths, the Sena is making its presence felt. A political observer said, “The BMC is technically under the urban development department led by Eknath Shinde, but the fact that Sena is targeting Bhide shows that this is with Shinde’s consent. Bhide was handpicked by CM Devendra Fadnavis and wasn’t Shinde’s preferred choice. Soon after she took over, the Sena has been sidelined in the BMC and BJP has dominated from Day One. So it is a political decision taken by Shinde Sena to get back at Bhide and BJP. But this also reflects that Bhide has not been able to balance things and is now caught in the crossfire.”In the last few months, there have been several instances where the Sena has been kept out of key BMC events, prompting them to complain of violation of protocol and norms. Most of the inspection visits for pre-monsoon works too were carried out independently by the BJP, keeping the Sena out.A former top bureaucrat said, “In the past, municipal commissioners had to balance between BJP in the state govt and bitter rival Sena (UBT) in the BMC. Right now, both BJP and Sena have put the blame on the BMC administration. This shows lack of dialogue between Bhide and the political leadership and a trust deficit too. The administration has failed to ride the double engine and is facing a political backlash for ignoring the Sena. One of the two will have to initiate a dialogue, or the rest of the monsoon will be stormy.”While BJP has 89 corporators, Sena has just 29.Sena (UBT) MLC Anil Parab said the blame game reveals a conflict in Mahayuti and lack of coordination.

Mumbai: Mumbai BJP chief, MLA Ameet Satam, faced flak from the opposition for his comments allegedly smiling about two tragic monsoon-related deaths in the city over the past two days.According to a video that is going viral, Satam is seen with NCP (SP) MLA Jayant Patil near the steps of the Vidhan Bhavan. “Yesterday it was because of a tree, today it is a manhole…,” Satam is heard in the video and seen smiling. Satam, on his part, said there is an attempt to misrepresent the meaning and this was nothing but news creation.“The world’s biggest shameless and murderous political party that grins with bared teeth at the deaths of innocent people,” Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said in a post on X sharing a screenshot of Satam’s viral video that shows him laughing.“In Mumbai, the very first rain led to waterlogging, trees falling, and innocent lives lost in manholes, but the BJP’s deadened leaders won’t stop their politics! When speaking about the Mumbai accidents, take a look at the statement from Mumbai BJP President Ameet Satam yourself… Yesterday it was trees, today it’s manholes… The way he says this, there’s so much laughter on his face as if nothing happened at all… The ruling BJP couldn’t care less whether Mumbaikars die or survive—they just want to do their own publicity, criticise the opposition, and shrug off responsibility onto the municipal administration! Mumbai’s Mayor and the BJP Mumbai President are both equally shameless, two peas in a pod. They won’t do the work, but they can mock the suffering of Mumbaikars… If you can’t help people, at least don’t laugh so brazenly… Show some humanity, at least a little,” said Mumbai Congress president MP Varsha Gaikwad.“While we were discussing the manhole issue, Jayant Patil came there. He said that yesterday I had given a speech in the assembly regarding this issue. To that, I told him that yesterday I had spoken about the tree falling, today I spoke about the manhole fall. To that, he laughed and applauded me and left after patting me on the back. After that, I also responded to him with a smile. I request the media not to distort the news and to report the news based on the facts,” Satam said.“An 11 year old child was killed due to a tree falling on the school bus. A 60 year old man died due to an uncovered manhole. These were both murders due to negligence of those in power. However forget accountability here we have Mumbai President of BJP casually joking about it and laughing loudly. Tells you all about the triple engine governance,” former Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said in a post on X.

Actress Preity Zinta has approached the Bombay High Court seeking protection against AI-generated deepfakes that infringe upon her personality rights.

MUMBAI: Yet another Bollywood personality, Priety Zinta, approached Bombay high court to have her personality rights protected against deep fake Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated images and content.The deepfakes carrying her trademark smile, is depleting her joy, her lawyers contended as they sought an interim order against 16 defendants including known websites and unknown others.Justice Madhav Jamdar on Friday posted the matter to July 6 to pass orders, but first gave time to parties to work out a mechanism or practical protocol to take down the genuinely offending content from websites without disturbing legitimate content.In her suit against Google LLC and others including Meta Platforms Inc, through Bachubhai Munim and Co, the Dil Se star said her heart wants the ongoing infringement of her personality, publicity and moral rights to be stopped.She claimed her right to privacy was being violated as websites based abroad cashed in on her “widely celebrated personality.’’Her suit said domain names also exist in her name which she did not create. It said, “personality traits are an integral/intrinsic part of her personality rights and/or publicity rights, in which the Plaintiff exercises (and ought to exercise) exclusive control. “She is also the co-owner of Punjab Kings, a franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Zinta’s interim plea argued by senior counsel Venkatesh Dhond said the AI generated content was rapidly becoming more realistic with chat-bot style interactions posted and hosted online by alleged infringers.Dhond sought urgent orders so that intermediaries be ordered to take down content she highlighted in the suit and orders to prevent unknown persons, John Doe (collective name for all unknown or unidentified infringers, present and potential) from posting unlawfully.Counsel for Google and Meta did not object to deleting morphed or obscene content but said no blanket orders be issued.Justice Jamdar, observing that protective orders would be warranted on merits also said legitimate content cannot suffer and asked counsel for the parties to confer and work out a protocol to take down genuinely offending content and leave lawful content alive.Her suit said, “numerous AI-generated deepfake videos, memes, manipulated images, Al chatbot personas and other digital content have been created, uploaded, disseminated and made available to the general public on the platforms, like YouTube, X, Instagram and Facebook’’ which utilise her name, image, likeness, voice and other personality traits without the Plaintiff’s authorisation, licence or consent.

India’s top engineering institutes, IIT Madras and IIT Kanpur, have launched a pioneering four-year Bachelor of Cybersecurity program

MUMBAI: Cybersecurity is moving from the margins of computer science classrooms to the centre of India’s higher education agenda.The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and IIT Kanpur have jointly launched what they describe as India’s first practice-oriented, four-year Bachelor of Cybersecurity programme.The B. Cyber course will begin in the academic year starting July 2026, with admissions being conducted jointly by the two IITs this year.The programme has been designed to meet India’s rising demand for cybersecurity professionals at a time when digital systems increasingly underpin governance, finance, healthcare, telecom, transport, manufacturing and defence.Officials said the course will train students not merely in the theory of cybersecurity, but in the operational skills required to protect complex digital infrastructure and critical systems.Graduates are expected to be prepared for roles in cyber defence, security operations centres, penetration testing, vulnerability assessment, digital forensics, malware analysis, cloud security, hardware security and critical infrastructure protection.The programme will also provide a foundation for higher studies and research in cybersecurity and computer science.“Cybersecurity has become fundamental to India’s technological sovereignty and national security,” said Prof V Kamakoti, director, IIT Madras. “Building a resilient cyber ecosystem requires professionals who possess not only strong theoretical foundations but also extensive hands-on experience in defending complex systems.”He said the collaboration with IIT Kanpur marked a new model of undergraduate education, combining academic rigour with real-world practice.“We believe this initiative will create a pipeline of highly skilled cybersecurity professionals who will play a vital role in securing the nation’s digital future,” Kamakoti said.The launch comes at a time when cybersecurity has emerged as a strategic national priority. As India’s digital footprint expands, the need to protect public platforms, financial networks, healthcare systems, telecom grids, industrial infrastructure and defence-linked technologies has grown sharply.Industry estimates point to a shortage of nearly 1.5 million cybersecurity professionals in the country, underlining the need for specialised undergraduate training in the field.A defining feature of the new degree is its two-year Field Deployment Professional Project. Students will spend the final four semesters working on live cybersecurity projects under the mentorship of professionals from strategic and critical organisations.The idea, officials said, is to ensure that graduates enter the workforce with substantial field exposure in addition to formal academic training.The curriculum follows a competency-based framework, allowing students to progressively build expertise across domains such as security operations, vulnerability assessment and penetration testing, secure systems, malware analysis, firmware reverse engineering, hardware security, cloud security and critical infrastructure security.

Students will also be able to choose advanced electives in digital forensics, embedded systems security, secure processor microarchitecture and applied cryptography.The first two years of the programme will focus heavily on laboratory-oriented instruction. Students will study computer systems, programming, Linux system administration, cryptography, computer organisation, operating systems, computer networks, ethical hacking, web security, vulnerability assessment and penetration testing before moving into advanced specialisation and professional deployment.For the IITs, the programme signals a shift in how cybersecurity education is being imagined: not as a late-stage specialisation, but as a full undergraduate discipline built around labs, live systems and field practice.

Tata Power Renewable Energy has boosted Mumbai’s green energy supply with a new 100.8 MW wind project in Maharashtra (File photo enhanced with AI)

MUMBAI: Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd (TPREL), the renewable energy arm of Tata Power, has commissioned a 100.8-MW wind power project in Maharashtra’s Dharashiv district, strengthening the green energy supply for Mumbai’s electricity network.The power generated from the Jewali wind project will be supplied to Tata Power Mumbai Distribution, helping the utility meet its Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) targets under the country’s clean energy regulations while increasing the share of renewable electricity in its supply mix.According to the company, the project is expected to generate around 299 million units of electricity annually, enough to replace an equivalent amount of conventional power. It is also estimated to offset nearly 245 million kg of carbon dioxide emissions every year, based on standard emission factors.The wind farm comprises 28 wind turbine generators of 3.6 MW each using horizontal-axis wind turbine technology.The commissioning further expands Tata Power Renewable Energy’s wind portfolio to over 3.9 GW, of which more than 1.3 GW is operational while the remaining capacity is under various stages of development across multiple states, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.For Mumbai consumers, the project is expected to improve the availability of renewable power in Tata Power’s distribution network and assist the utility in complying with statutory renewable procurement requirements. Distribution companies are mandated to procure a specified percentage of their electricity from renewable energy sources under RPO norms.With the addition of the Jewali project, TPREL’s total renewable utility portfolio has reached 11.6 GW. Of this, 6.7 GW is operational, comprising 5.4 GW of solar and 1.3 GW of wind capacity, while another 4.9 GW is under implementation.The under-construction portfolio includes around 2.1 GW of solar projects, 2.6 GW of wind projects and 0.2 GW of battery energy storage systems, which are scheduled to be commissioned in phases over the next six to 24 months.The company said the latest commissioning aligns with Tata Power’s long-term target of achieving 100% clean energy generation by 2045 and forms part of its broader renewable energy expansion strategy.

MUMBAI: The crime branch has arrested a Vile Parle–based builder in connection with an alleged land-grabbing fraud involving forged powers of attorney, fake bank accounts and the fraudulent transfer of possession rights over a prime land parcel in Dahisar.The property cell of the crime branch arrested Kalpesh Kanubhai Shah, director of Puja Land and Premises Pvt Ltd, for his alleged role in a conspiracy to acquire possession rights over around 16,288.3 sq metres of land using fabricated documents.Shah was produced before the Esplanade Court, which remanded him to seven days of police custody.The alleged fraud came to light after the Bombay high court, while hearing a civil dispute between Sheikh Construction and Romell Housing, observed that two documents bore the same registration number.A subsequent verification by the joint sub-registrar’s office, Borivali, allegedly confirmed that an irrevocable power of attorney dated May 25, 2010, was forged and did not exist in official records.Police alleged that Shah, along with co-accused Prakash Chandra Dubey, knowingly relied on the forged power of attorney to execute and register transfer deeds, enabling Puja Land and Premises Pvt Ltd to obtain possession rights over the disputed land.The probe has also revealed that fake bank accounts in the names of “Kausar Nooruddin Sheikh” and “Sheikh Construction” were opened at a Mira Road bank branch to route funds linked to the transaction.Investigators claim Shah and Dubey transferred substantial sums into these accounts before the execution of the disputed documents, despite there being no legitimate sale agreement with the original landowner, KN Sheikh.During the investigation, police examined financial transactions involving co-accused Sameera Aslam Khan, who allegedly admitted to receiving Rs 29.47 lakh, including Rs 9.5 lakh in cash through bearer cheques, and paying Rs 4.5 lakh to a person identified as Kiran Ghavnalkar for preparing the forged power of attorney.Investigators further alleged that Sajid Sheikh operated the fake Sheikh Construction account through which funds were withdrawn.Police said the land belonged to KN Sheikh, who was unwilling to sell or transfer the property. They alleged that his divorced wife, Sultana Sheikh, was used to create forged general and irrevocable powers of attorney to falsely show that Sheikh had authorised her to deal with the land.Using these documents, Sultana allegedly executed transfer deeds in favour of Puja Land and Premises Pvt. Ltd., whose directors included Shah and Dubey.The crime branch has already arrested Sultana Sheikh, Sameera Khan, Sajid Sheikh, Prakash Dubey and Kiran Ghavnalkar, and filed a chargesheet against them under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, 2023, and the Registration Act, 1908.Police said a supplementary chargesheet will name Shah, other wanted accused and additional persons identified during the probe.Investigators said Shah’s custodial interrogation is necessary to trace the original forged documents, examine the money trail, identify other beneficiaries of the alleged conspiracy and recover records linked to the disputed land transactions.Police have alleged that Shah was aware the power of attorney was forged but proceeded with the execution and registration of the transfer documents.

Mumbai remains India’s least affordable housing market, with homebuyers dedicating 69% of income to loan repayments, despite monetary easing (AI-generated image used for representational purposes)

MUMBAI: Even after a cumulative 125 basis points of monetary easing and lower home loan rates, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has retained its position as India’s least affordable residential market, with a typical homebuyer required to spend 69% of household income on monthly loan repayments, according to Knight Frank India’s latest Affordability Index.The report shows that MMR remains well above the 50% affordability benchmark, the level beyond which banks are generally reluctant to underwrite housing loans. Among the country’s eight major residential markets, only MMR and the National Capital Region (NCR) continue to breach this threshold, while the remaining six cities remain within affordable limits.The findings highlight that, for Mumbai’s homebuyers, falling borrowing costs have not been enough to offset the impact of high property prices. Knight Frank said affordability gains achieved through lower interest rates have largely been neutralised by sustained price appreciation in the country’s costliest housing market.The index measures the proportion of a household’s monthly income required to pay equated monthly instalments (EMIs) on an average home. For H1 2026, MMR’s affordability ratio stood unchanged at 69%, while NCR worsened slightly to 67% from 66% in 2025.In contrast, Ahmedabad emerged as the country’s most affordable housing market, with an EMI-to-income ratio of 23%, followed by Kolkata (25%), Pune (28%) and Chennai (29%). Bengaluru stood at 35%, while Hyderabad recorded 41%, all comfortably within the affordability threshold.The report notes that affordability across India’s residential markets remains broadly supportive because of the cumulative benefit of lower borrowing costs following the Reserve Bank of India’s 125-basis-point rate cuts before the current pause in the easing cycle.However, rising residential prices have moderated those gains in several markets.Knight Frank’s affordability data also shows how sharply MMR differs from other cities. While Pune’s affordability improved from 57% in 2016 to 28% in H1 2026, and Chennai’s fell from 55% to 29% over the same period, Mumbai’s ratio has remained stubbornly high despite improving from 77% in 2016.Shishir Baijal, Chairman and Managing Director, Knight Frank India, said housing affordability continues to be a key driver of residential demand.While lower interest rates have supported buyers, rising property prices have moderated affordability gains. He said healthy employment, stable incomes and supportive financing conditions continue to underpin demand, but sustained income growth would be crucial for improving affordability over the long term.The report said the RBI’s decision to keep the policy repo rate unchanged at 5.25% in its February and June 2026 monetary policy meetings indicates that rate stability is likely in the near term. Although geopolitical uncertainties and inflation risks remain, the cumulative impact of earlier rate cuts is expected to continue supporting housing demand across most major cities.