MUMBAI: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) workers staged a protest outside the Congress’ Tilak Bhavan headquarters in Mumbai on Wednesday, dousing an effigy of Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal with a dark liquid and raising slogans over his alleged “gungi gudiya” (mute doll) remark against deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar.Visuals from the protest showed party workers surrounding the effigy, pouring the dark liquid over it and shouting slogans as they demanded an unconditional apology from Sapkal.The demonstration comes amid an escalating political row between the ruling Mahayuti allies and the Congress.The controversy erupted after Sapkal was accused of making the “gungi gudiya” remark targeting Sunetra Pawar. While the NCP condemned the alleged comment and demanded a public apology, Sapkal denied using any abusive language and dismissed the controversy as a “calculated tactic.”Responding to the row, deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar said, “I will give a reply at the appropriate time.”Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis also criticised the Congress, saying, “Congress has gone to a very low level just for the sake of publicity. No one is looking at them.”NCP MLA Sana Malik accused the Congress of abandoning its own ideology and demanded a clarification from the party’s central leadership.“Our immediate demand is for a clarification from the Indian National Congress in Delhi: Does the central leadership share the same stance as the Maharashtra Congress? We demand an immediate and public apology. Furthermore, if a timely apology is not issued, we will escalate our protests, which have already begun in Maharashtra, to a nationwide level and also explore potential legal action,” she said.Defending himself, Sapkal denied making any offensive remarks.“No abusive language or offensive comments were used. However, you may have noticed recently that the NCP seems invisible; despite being in power, they aren’t receiving due respect from the BJP. So, this move was likely a calculated attempt to demonstrate their existence,” he said.Rejecting demands for an apology, Sapkal added that there was “no scope” for one because there had been no intent to insult and described the controversy as a political tactic.(With agency inputs)

The Bombay High Court ordered social media intermediaries to remove vile and abusive online content.

MUMBAI: Observing that some of the content was “vile’’ “abusive’’ and “certainly defamatory’’, Bombay high court on Wednesday granted urgent interim relief to Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and directed Social Media intermediaries to remove posts including videos that linked him to the ethanol-blended fuel (EBP) controversy.Gadkari had sought judicial intervention against Meta Platforms, X Corp, Google LLC, and others to delete online content he alleged was “false, fabricated, and defamatory”, AI-generated deepfake videos and other manipulated digital content linking him incorrectly to EBP programme.Justice Arif Doctor sitting singly who heard the matter and passed the order, said the online platforms ought to have or prepare a framework to take down such content without necessitating a court intervention each time.The posts went beyond acceptable political criticism or satire, said his suit and transgressed on his personal rights, his public persona, his personality rights with “profane and abusive’’ content, Gadkari’s suit contended. He sought ₹11 crore in damages from John Doe (the unnamed and unidentified persons or entities) that posted content he submitted was “malicious, false…’’Gadkari’s counsel Sandeep Ladda submitted that the ‘defamatory and deepfake contents’ ought to be taken down, as they were harming the Minister’s reputation and goodwill, as well his personality rights and public standing.“I can only say that the same is absolutely vile and abusive,’’ Justice Doctor said on seeing the content Ladda cited. The HC Judge added, “Such material should have no place on a public platform, which is accessible to everyone, including young.’’The HC asked the counsel for Meta and others, if the intermediaries had any measures in place for taking down defamatory content. Justice Doctor directed the platforms to give the “basic customer information’’ of content creators and granted liberty to Gadkari to add them as parties to the suit.There is a rising pushback against the blended fuel programme introduced to curb crude oil imports. Motorists and critics said it corrodes fuel tanks in older or non-compliant cars.Gadkari’s suit said the Centre had way back in 2003 introduced Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP) as a national policy initiative to blend ethanol with petrol in a phased manner. Gadkari has been serving as the Minister of Road Transport since 2014.The implementation and progress details of EBP policy are handled by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, his suit added. In 2025-26 the Centre achieved 20%blending of ethanol with petrol or E20 as it is called. His suit claims though he has no role in the programme, some content circulated online in July falsely associates him with the EBP and E20 initiative.His suit stressed that he has “no role or nexus whatsoever with EBP or the E20 initiative which is administered exclusively by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas’’ and the content online “falls out of the ambit of legitimate political criticism or satire.”Gadkari’s suit says it is not intended to prevent public discussion or criticism of his public duty actions or government policies. It said he “does not seek to stifle or restrain fair criticism, dissent, debate or bona fide expression of opinion concerning his public life, governmental policies or official functions.”The HC granted Gadkari the liberty to convey to the online platforms any future abusive content and to approach the court in case of any “grey area’’.The HC will hear the matter next after 4 weeks.

Bombay high court ordered Meta and X Corp to remove defamatory content

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Wednesday directed social media giants Meta and X Corp to immediately take down all content, including Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated material, allegedly defamatory towards Union minister Nitin Gadkari regarding the government’s ethanol-blended petrol policy.Sandeep S Ladda, the advocate representing Nitin Gadkari, said the court took a serious view of the use of digital platforms to circulate deepfakes and misleading information, news agency ANI reported.“A hearing took place regarding the lawsuit filed by Union minister; lawyers representing Meta, which operates Facebook and Instagram, and X Corp (formerly Twitter) appeared before the court. We explained to the court the nature of the defamatory content related to the E20 ethanol blending policy and why such claims were defamatory,” he said.“The court prima facie agreed that the content was defamatory and questioned Meta and the other platforms about the absence of an effective mechanism to address such issues,” Ladda added.The legal team representing the minister pointed out that the existing regulatory environment allows the “casual” misuse of social media to damage reputations without adequate safeguards.“We pointed out that social media platforms are being misused almost casually to damage reputations, while there is no adequate system in place to prevent such misuse. Recognising that the E20-related content appeared prima facie to be deepfake and defamatory, the court directed the platforms to provide details of the individuals who uploaded the content and ordered the immediate removal of such material,” the advocate added.Lawyers for Meta, which operates Facebook and Instagram, and X Corp, formerly Twitter, appeared before the court during the proceedings.The court expressed concern over the lack of internal checks to prevent the spread of such deepfake-driven misinformation, ANI reported.The court also directed the platforms to provide details of the individuals who uploaded the disparaging material and ordered the removal of any similar content posted even after the suit was filed.“The court, while hearing a lawsuit filed by the minister, also directed the platforms to provide details of the individuals who uploaded the disparaging material and ordered the removal of any similar content posted even after the filing of the suit,” Ladda added.The development comes after Union minister Nitin Gadkari approached the Bombay high court on July 27 against social media posts linking him and his family to alleged E20-related business gains.According to Gadkari’s lawsuit filed in the Bombay high court, the disputed content on social media includes posts, deepfake pictures and videos, among others, allegedly linking him and his family to profits from the E20 ethanol blending programme.The lawsuit also emphasises that the ethanol blending policy is being administered by the Petroleum Ministry, ANI reported.The Bombay high court allowed Gadkari to file a civil suit against Meta and other social media platforms, as well as unidentified entities allegedly being used to spread misinformation against Gadkari and his family.The development comes amid growing public scrutiny over ethanol-blended fuel, particularly E20 petrol, following claims on social media that the higher ethanol blend had caused performance issues and damage in some vehicles.(With agency inputs)

A civil contractor and a vegetable vendor were injured in knife attacks near the BMC F-North Ward office.

MUMBAI: A dispute allegedly linked to a BMC contract tender turned violent in Matunga on Monday, with two separate complaints registered after a civil contractor and a vegetable vendor were injured in knife attacks near the rear gate of the BMC F-North Ward office.According to the complaints, the incident occurred near Pioneer Hall on Telang Road, Matunga East outside BMC office shortly after civil contractor Bhairu Singh, 43, visited the BMC office to enquire about a tender for construction of ladi and koba works in slum areas under the F-North Ward.Singh told police that he had submitted an online tender for the work about a week earlier. A day before the incident, he allegedly received a threatening call from an unidentified person questioning him about why he had taken the Matunga BMC contract.On Monday, after making enquiries with officials at the ward office, Singh said that he coming out when he was approached by four unidentified men near the rear gate. After confirming his identity, two of them allegedly assaulted him. Singh alleged that one man wearing a red T-shirt stabbed him on the right side of his abdomen with a knife, while another allegedly struck his left hand with a beer bottle, causing injuries to his fingers.Singh further told police that he had carried a knife for self-protection after receiving the previous day’s threat. When the assailants allegedly attacked him, he took out the knife, following which some of them fled.Singh allegedly chased him and, after the man slipped and fell, stabbed him in the left leg. Police reached the spot and seized the knives involved in the incident. Singh was subsequently taken to Sion Hospital for treatment.In a separate Fir was registered following the same incident, 30-year-old Ashish Yadav, a vegetable vendor from Vikhroli East, alleged that he was injured while attempting to intervene in the altercation.Yadav alleged that one of the men, wearing a white shirt, suddenly pulled out a knife from behind his trousers and raised it towards the persons involved in the fight. When Yadav tried to run away, the man allegedly chased him with the knife. Yadav slipped and fell, and the knife blow allegedly struck his left leg, causing a serious injury.Yadav was subsequently taken to Sion Hospital by an acquaintance on a motorcycle.Police have registered two separate cases based on the complaints and are investigating the circumstances leading to the confrontation. Investigators are also attempting to identify the unidentified persons through witness accounts and other available evidence.The complaints indicate that the two injured persons have given different descriptions of the alleged attackers and have told police that they would be able to identify them if they encountered them again.The police are also probing Singh’s allegation that the assault was connected to the BMC tender and the threatening phone call he allegedly received a day before the incident

A car fell about twenty-five feet down a parking lift shaft.

MUMBAI: A car, with the valet attendant seated inside, tum-bled about 25 feet down a parking lift shaft at a housing society in Charkop Sector 3, Kandivli West, around 9.30 pm on Monday. The incident occurred at the ground-plus-21-storey Horizon Gold building near Ganesh Chowk. According to information provided by the police, the fire brigade and the owner of the car, Subhash Kumar Yadav, the valet attendant was steering the car parked on the second-floor podium out of the building at the owner’s request. Yadav seemed to be unaware that the parking platform was not aligned with the lift and drove into the shaft instead. The Alto car, with Yadav seated inside, fell about 25 feet. People pre sent in the building managed to extricate Yadav and took him to the Aastha Hospital in Kandivli. “It is an unfortunate incident. The valet parking attendant claims to have lost control of the car. I had asked for the car to be brought out of the parking area as I was stepping out of the building. The attendant was bringing the vehicle out when the incident took place. It is not clear whether he applied the brakes or whether he couldn’t control the car de spite applying them and rammed through the metal sheets covering the entrance. In any case, it is human error, and it was not a deliberate act on the part of the attendant. Fortunately, the attendant escaped wit-hout serious injuries despite the car tumbling down,” said Vipul Doshi, the owner of the car and husband of BMC Improvements Committee Chair person Sandhya Doshi. Yadav (30), who suffered leg injuries, was treated at the hospital and discharged. Fire brigade officials said Horizon Gold is a residential building with a ground floor, four podium levels, and residential flo-ors from the fifth to the 21st floor. Following the incident, a crane was requisitioned, and a private Hydra crane was deployed to remove the damaged car from the parking lift pit. “It is for the police to investigate who is at fault in the incident,” said a fire brigade official. The Charkop police were summo-ned to the spot. Police said the car was completely mangled. However, they added that no complaint had been received.

The Nationalist Congress Party (SP) dissolved all spokesperson appointments immediately.

MUMBAI: The Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party on Tuesday dissolved all existing appointments to the post of party spokesperson with immediate effect and designated former MLA Vidya Chavan and Mahesh Tapase as the only authorised spokespersons until further orders.In a statement posted on X, the party said the decision had been approved by Maharashtra unit president and former minister Shashikant Shinde.“With the approval of the party’s Provincial President and former Minister Shri Shashikant Shinde, effective immediately from today, August 4, 2026, all previous appointments to the position of party spokesperson are hereby cancelled until further orders,” the statement said.It added that during this period, “former MLA Vidya Chavan and Shri Mahesh Tapase will represent the party’s official stand before the media as the party’s authorised spokespersons.”The reshuffle comes amid heightened political activity within the party, with speculation over its future strategy and internal differences on key political issues.Former party spokesperson Vikas Lawande accepted the decision, saying he remained committed to the party and its ideology.“All spokesperson positions have been cancelled. Accordingly, I am no longer in the party’s spokesperson position from today. The party’s decision is like an order for the workers. I accept it,” Lawande said in a post on X.Thanking the leadership for the opportunity to serve as spokesperson since 2015, he said he would continue to work to strengthen the organisation and uphold its “democratic, progressive and secular ideals.”National spokesperson Anish Gawande also posted a message reflecting on his two-year tenure, expressing gratitude to Sharad Pawar and MP Supriya Sule for entrusting him with the role.The development came on a day when the Congress and the Sunetra Pawar-led NCP traded barbs over the latter’s description of Maharashtra deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar as “Gungi Gudiya” (silent doll).

The Bombay High Court granted bail to a man accused of carrying cocaine.

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has granted bail to a man accused of carrying nearly 1.5 kg of cocaine, observing that authorities had committed a “gross violation” of procedure by failing to produce him before the trial court on most dates for more than two years.A division bench of Justices Sarang V. Kotwal and Ashish S. Chavan passed the order on July 29 while hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Satly Thomas, who is facing trial in an NDPS case arising from an investigation by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).According to the prosecution, DRI officials intercepted Thomas at CSMI Airport, , early on August 18, 2023, after receiving information that he was carrying narcotics concealed in his luggage. A search allegedly led to the recovery of three packets containing 666 grams, 629 grams and 467 grams of cocaine. The total net weight was 1,496 grams, substantially above the 100-gram commercial quantity prescribed under the NDPS Act.Thomas challenged his continued detention, alleging that although he was arrested around 2.30 am on August 18, 2023, he was shown as arrested only at 10.30 am the following day and produced before a magistrate at 4.20 pm on August 19.The High Court, however, focused on a more serious issue concerning his production before the court during custody. The court noted that between August 2023 and December 2025, Thomas was physically produced before the court on only five occasions out of 70 dates. Apart from these occasions, he was not produced either physically or through video conferencing, barring four attempts at connecting through video conferencing.The court also noted that after the Special Court took cognizance of the case on February 9, 2024, there was no communication between the trial court and the jail authorities regarding extension of his remand until April 2025.“This, in our opinion, is gross violation of the procedure,” the bench observed, holding that there was no authority for the Superintendent of Taloja Central Prison to keep Thomas incarcerated during that period of more than one year.Referring to a Supreme Court ruling which stressed that production of an accused before court is a fundamental safeguard against abuse and enables a prisoner to raise grievances directly before the court, the bench held that Thomas’s non-production amounted to a violation of his fundamental right to a fair trial under Article 21 of the Constitution.“The court said the seriousness of the alleged offence could not justify ignoring mandatory procedural safeguards. It consequently ordered Thomas’s release on bail on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 50,000 with one or two sureties of the same amount.” said advocate Prasanna Namboodiri.The court imposed stringent conditions, including mandatory attendance on every trial date, weekly attendance at the DRI office on Mondays between 4 pm and 5 pm, surrender of his passport, and a restriction on leaving the trial court’s jurisdiction without permission.

The Bombay high court accepted a closure report in a builder conspiracy case (File Photo).

MUMBAI: Nearly 20 years after a criminal case was filed alleging a conspiracy to kill a builder in a redevelopment dispute, the Bombay high court has accepted the State CID’s ‘B-Summary’ closure report in the matter involving Shreepati builder managing director Rajendra Chaturvedi.It said that investigators found no material against the accused and that a Magistrate’s earlier refusal to accept the closure report went against the evidence gathered during the probe.A division bench of Justices A.S. Gadkari and Kamal Khata, in an order dated July 27, allowed a writ petition filed by Chaturvedi and a criminal revision application filed by the State CID. The court quashed and set aside the January 30, 2013 order of the Metropolitan Magistrate, 10th Court, Andheri, and accepted the B-Summary report submitted by the State CID, Konkan Bhavan, Navi Mumbai.The case originated in 2007 amid a dispute linked to a redevelopment project at Kalachowky, said to be worth around Rs 500 crore. Chaturvedi had contended that he was falsely implicated in a case alleging a plot to eliminate rival builder Rashmikant Shah.As per the allegations in the initial case, Juhu police in February 2007 intercepted four men near the Holiday Inn hotel in Juhu and claimed they had been hired to kill Shah. The police had alleged that Chaturvedi paid Rs 50 lakh for the alleged contract killing. The case had also, at one stage, seen consideration of invoking provisions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).Chaturvedi denied the allegations and maintained that the case was driven by business rivalry and efforts to frame him. The matter was later transferred for investigation to the State CID.During the CID probe, the agency raised questions about the prosecution narrative and indicated an alleged nexus involving the rival builder and certain police officers, suggesting Chaturvedi may have been framed. The investigation led to action against police personnel, with seven policemen suspended in connection with the matter, including then Additional Commissioner of Police Bipin Bihari, who has since retired.The CID also re-examined witness claims about the purported Juhu incident. According to findings placed before the Andheri court, witnesses who had earlier asserted they were present when Shah was allegedly fired at later denied that any such incident occurred.On the basis of its investigation, the State CID concluded there was no material to proceed against the accused and filed a B-Summary report seeking closure on February 13, 2008. The agency also submitted a report under Section 169 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, seeking discharge of some accused due to insufficient evidence.However, the Metropolitan Magistrate, 10th Court, Andheri, rejected the B-Summary report and declined the Section 169 request in an order dated January 30, 2013.Chaturvedi then approached the High Court challenging the Magistrate’s decision and seeking acceptance of the closure report. The State CID filed a separate revision application seeking similar relief, with connected intervention applications also filed by another accused.In its decision, the High Court reviewed the investigation record and the material compiled by the CID, observing that the investigation led to the conclusion that the informant had lodged a false case.