1. Mumbai’s bravest school principal
A five-year struggle for justice, which drove the principal of an Andheri school to near destitution for exposing a teacher whom she accused of sexually harassing around 40 girl students, has found closure with a special POCSO court sentencing the teacher to three years of rigorous imprisonment on Monday. The first information report against the teacher mentioned three victims, and he was yesterday found guilty of sexually harassing them.
Mumbai Mirror has been reporting on the principal’s struggle, and the case itself, which is one of the city’s biggest child sexual harassment incidents in school. We are not revealing the identities of the principal and the teacher as per the guidelines of the POCSO Act.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
2. Govt depts’ tussle lets theatres go scot-free
The state government’s mixed signals are letting multiplexes get away with fleecing moviegoers under the guise of steeply priced food.
Last week, Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies Ravindra Chavan had clarified with Mirror that multiplexes cannot prevent anyone from bringing in food from outside. His department even asked the home department to issue fresh instructions to multiplexes in this regard and clear up the confusion, but the home department turned down the request, claiming that food could be a security threat.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
3. Maha CM’s ‘Mann ki Baat’ stalled for 10 months, but agency still given Rs 2 crore: Congress
The state unit of the Congress on Monday trained its guns on chief minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis by raising questions over his monthly interactive programme, Mee Mukhyamantri Boltoy (Chief Minister speaking). It questioned the appointment of an agency for running the programme, which had no experience, and was allegedly paid ₹2.36 crore without any work. The party also alleged that the programme has been discontinued for the past ten months, since November 2017, as the CM could not devote time.
However, the state government’s directorate general of information and public relations (DGIPR) department termed the allegations baseless.
Source: Hindustan Times
4. Mumbai trust seeks HC direction to curb Eid sacrifices at unlicensed sites
A South Mumbai-based trust on Monday filed a petition in the Bombay high court (HC), seeking directions to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to stop issuing licences, public notices and recall of licences allowing slaughter of animals during Bakri Eid outside Deonar abattoir.
The petitioner, Jiv Maitri Trust, has claimed that temporary licences being issued by BMC violate existing environment and animal welfare laws. Bakri Eid is going to be observed from August 22 to 24 and many sacrifices are made at unlicenced places, based on the temporary licences issued by BMC.
Source: Hindustan Times
5.Mumbai may get into record books for its potholes
Mumbai’s potholed roads could soon be one of India’s (if not world’s) greatest infamies, and its documentary evidence is coming from none other than its citizens. Navin Lade, who last month took the pledge to shame complacent authorities into action by entering the city into various world records, has received 20,000 pothole entries from Mumbaikars (Resident enters Mumbai in Guinness World Records for potholes, MM, July 21).
Not disappointed that his entry has been rejected by Guinness World Records for wanting to stay clear of “political issues”, Lade is tirelessly pursuing with the Limca Book of Records. The India Book of Records, though, feels his is a “social” initiative and has accepted the entry for its next edition.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
6. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis rejigs bureaucracy
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday transferred nine senior and mid-level bureaucrats. Anoop Kumar, a 1990-batch IAS officer, has been appointed as principal secretary (Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries) in the state secretariat. Kumar, who was discharging the responsibility as the Nagpur divisional commissioner, will take over after the incumbent Kiran Kurundkar retires later thus month. While the Fadnavis had issued orders on July 31 appointed Abha Shukla (1993) as the principal secretary (Water Supply and Sanitation), he has now cancelled this appointment. Shukla has now been posted as Principal Secretary (co-operation).
Source: Indian Express
7. Sheena Bora murder case: Didn’t ask Indrani for money to buy five dogs, Mekhail tells special CBI court
In the Sheena Bora murder case, defence advocates representing Indrani Mukerjea on Monday questioned her son Mekhail, who is appearing as a prosecution witness, on his expenses, including those on cars and dogs.
Mekhail was first asked about the number of cars he has owned so far to which he responded by stating his car purchases from 2011 to 2015.
Source: Indian Express
9. Woman held for drowning infant son
In a suspected case of human sacrifice, a 25-year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly killing her six-month-old son by drowing him in a drain.
The woman, identified as Kalpana Gaikar (25), was arrested by the Bhiwandi Taluka police on August 11. Police are probing whether she killed her son on the advice of a self-proclaimed godman.
Source: Indian Express
10. Store owner’s licence cancelled after wrong medicine causes customer’s death
Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration Minister Girish Bapat cancelled the licence of a medicine store owner in Malad last week. The owner has been accused of causing the death of a senior citizen after he delivered cancer medicine to him by mistake.
The order was issued last week by Bapat after hearing both sides of the case relating to the death of 67-year-old Malad east resident, Digambar Dhuri, last year. Dhuri, who worked at an imitation jewellery unit in Malad, was injured in October 2017 after he had fallen down inside a restaurant and suffered a gash on his leg.
Source: Indian Express
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