1. RSS Defamation Case: Bhiwandi Court Frames Charges Against Rahul Gandhi
A magistrate court at Bhiwandi on Tuesday framed charges against Congress president Rahul Gandhi in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) defamation case. He has been accused of defaming the RSS by purportedly blaming it for Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination at a rally in 2014.
The magistrate charged Gandhi under sections 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal Code.
After reading out and explaining the charges to him, the court asked Gandhi if he wanted to plead guilty, to which he responded by pleading not guilty.
The framing of charges is the first step towards commencement of a trial. The Congress president, who was allowed to leave court after these proceedings, came out and greeted the crowd waiting outside. Speaking to the media outside the court premises, Gandhi said that charges have been slapped against him and that he would face the trial.
Source: Hindustan Times
2. Actor Armaan Kohli Arrested By Police In Lonavala
Former Bigg Boss contestant Armaan Kohli has been arrested by the police after his live-in partner, Neeru Randhawa accused him of assaulting her. Although, the police had booked him on 3 June, they were unable to find Kohli. He was eventually located at a farmhouse in Lonavala, reported SpotBoyE.
Armaan Kohli was booked for assault by the Santacruz police on Sunday, 3 June. A case has been registered against the former Bigg Boss contestant for allegedly assaulting Neeru.
“We have registered a case after the woman gave us a statement on Sunday night. There was an argument between the two over some monetary issue after which the complainant claims the actor assaulted her,” said an officer to Hindustan Times.
The police received a call from a hospital where Neeru was being treated for her injuries on Sunday (3 June) night. “She had also received head injuries for which she had gone to the hospital. We recorded her statement after which it was clear that Kohli had allegedly assaulted her post an argument,” said another officer.
The couple were reportedly arguing over money when the actor lost his temper and hit her.
Read more on The Quint.
3. 3 Jaywalkers Cause Truck to Topple on Mumbai-pune Expressway
Three pedestrians crossing the Mumbai-Pune Expressway were injured on Tuesday, after a truck trying to avoid hitting them toppled over.
The accident blocked the Pune-Mumbai lane of the highway. The police managed to move the truck and cleared the road for traffic in around 30 minutes.
The incident took place around 10am, the police said, as the truck was heading towards Mumbai and passing Amrutanjan bridge near Lonavla.
“The three people were crossing the highway. They were on the middle of the road, and to avoid hitting them, the truck driver probably stepped on the brake abruptly. This caused the truck to swerve and topple on the road,” said a police officer from the state highway traffic department, who did not wish to be named. “The truck scraped the three people, who suffered minor injuries. They were taken to Lokmanya hospital in Pune, treated and discharged soon after,” the official added.
Source: Hindustan Times
4. 14-year-old Boy Falls in Lift Duct, Dies
A 14-year-old boy died allegedly after falling into the duct space left open for a lift on the third floor in a building in Digha. The boy was playing with his friends when he fell, police said. According to Rabale police, the deceased has been identified as Chetan Kharade (14), a resident of Omkareshwar Plaza in Digha.
“Kharade was playing when he accidentally slipped and fell inside the duct and got stuck. He suffered head injuries and by the time he was rescued, his condition was critical. He was later declared brought dead at a nearby hospital,” said an officer.
Police have arrested the building caretaker for negligence. “There was a similar incident a couple of years ago. The child however had escaped with minor injuries. But this time, a child lost his life, so we have made the arrest,” said the officer.
Source: The Indian Express
5. Traffic Dept Wants Firm Blacklisted for Failed ATC
Fed up with failed attempts to get the area traffic control (ATC) system to do its job, Amitesh Kumar, joint commissioner of police (traffic), has urged the BMC to not only scrap the contract with the company that’s tasked with maintaining 253 traffic lights, but also blacklist the firm.
The Rs 72-crore ATC system was installed at 253 of 630 intersections under the Mumbai Urban Town Planning-1 project with aid from the World Bank. Ideally, the ‘intelligent’ traffic maintenance system provides for constant acquiring and updating of real-time road traffic data, including the number of vehicles arriving at intersections. This data allows traffic lights to adjust themselves as per a set cycle, in accordance with the flow of traffic.
But the system has been a bust in Mumbai, especially in congested Pedder Road, Bhulabhai Desai Road, Haji Ali and Nariman Point. It failed to gather real-time data — because the software has not been upgraded, say sources — forcing traffic policemen to manually recalibrate the signals.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
6. Mumbai Monorail Operations: Maharshtra Government Seeks Response on Safety Compliance From MMRDA
Before giving its consent to begin operations of the Mumbai Monorail, the state government has sought a response from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on safety compliance.
“We have sought their response on issues regarding compliance. Once they respond satisfactorily to all the concerns, we will give the clearance for beginning the operations of the monorail,” said Nitin Kareer, Principal Secretary, Urban Development Department (UDD). Among the issues raised by the UDD are compliance of Commissioner of Rail Safety (CRS) recommendations on safety in the light of a November 9, 2017 incident.
“We received the letter on June 11 and are preparing the response now. We will be submitting it soon,” said Sanjay Khandare, Additional Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA. They have also sought their response on the state legislature’s public accounts committee (PAC) report which had condemned the MMRDA for misjudging the feasibility of the monorail in December 2017.
Source: The Indian Express
7. St George Gears up for More Lalit Salves
Even as Beed constable Lalita Salve looks forward to a new life as Lalit Salve after having undergone a gender-reassignment surgery at the state-run St George Hospital on June 8, the hospital has been approached by several people wanting to undergo similar procedures. These requests have now prompted the hospital to plan an out-patient department (OPD) that will be dedicated exclusively to gender re-assignment and cosmetic surgery.
The hospital has received a goahead for the OPD from the state government and Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), and is expected to begin functioning from early next month, officials said.
Dr Rajat Kapoor, senior plastic surgeon at the hospital, said, “This is going to be the first gender reassignment and cosmetic surgery OPD in a government-run hospital. Even private hospitals do not have such OPDs dedicated exclusively for such surgeries.”
Source: Mumbai Mirror
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)