1. A Soured Affair, A Harsh Phone Clip: The Tragic Sea Link Death Unravelled
The tragic suicide of 24-year-old MMK College student Pawanjeet Kohli, who jumped off the Sea Link in the early hours of July 3, is a cautionary tale of modern day love gone wrong. It also points to society’s continued failure to spot deep depression and deal with it.
It’s a tale of a young man who could not take rejection; a woman who, like many others in their mid-20s, was confused by multiple choices offered by life; two families that, perhaps, could have dealt with the situation with greater sensitivity; and a friend who tried to help Pawanjeet and now holds himself responsible for his death.
Nearly 36 hours after the suicide, the Khar police have managed to piece together a sequence of events that started on June 21 when Pawanjeet first learnt of his girlfriend’s impending engagement and ended with his drunken call to his friends during which he spoke of his desire to fly and sang a song from the film ‘Sathiya.’ Hours later, he jumped to his death.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
2. 1993 Mumbai Blasts Case: Prosecution Seeks Life Imprisonment For Don Abu Salem
The prosecution sought life imprisonment for extradited gangster Abu Salem and one more person in the special TADA court hearing the 1993 blast case on Tuesday. Salem, who was extradited from Portugal in 2005 was convicted in the second leg of the blasts along with six others.
With this, the CBI completed all its arguments regarding the punishment that they believe must be awarded to all those found guilty in second leg of the 1993 blast case. The defense will begin its arguments on Wednesday, following which the judge will sentence the convicts.
While special public prosecutor Deepak Salvi emphasized that Salem deserved nothing but the death penalty for his role of ‘transporting a car full of ammunition from Bharuch to Mumbai’, he said that he was constrained by section 34(c) of the Indian Extradition Act. According to the treaty signed with Portugal Salem cannot be sentenced to death or more than 25 years imprisonment.
(Source: Mumbai Mirror)
3. Cyrus Mistry, Others Face Criminal Defamation Charges
A court in Mumbai has initiated process against industrialists Cyrus P. Mistry, Shapoor Mistry and others in a criminal defamation complaint lodged last month by Tata Trusts' Managing Trustee R. Venkataramanan, an official said on Tuesday.
The process was issued by Metropolitan Magistrate K.G. Paldewar and accordingly, Mistry, the ousted former Chairman of Tata Sons, and other directors of Cyrus Investments Pvt Ltd and Sterling Investments Pvt Ltd, will be tried for criminal defamation.
They will have to appear before the court and execute bail bonds, said the official.
Later, the charges would be framed against the accused under sections dealing with criminal defamation and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code.
(Source: Mid-Day)
4. Haji Ali Encroachment: SC Gives Maharashtra Government Extension To Clear Up Area
The encroachments on the 908 square meter area on the approach road towards Haji Ali Dargah is usually one of the most crowded spots in the entire are. In an attempt to clear up the space the High court had issued an order for the illegal encroachments to be cleared. Soo thereafter the Supreme Court has now ordered the Maharashtra Government to take the matters into their hands. But due to inaction, the Supreme Court has given the state government time to remove these illegal encroachments.
In a report by The Hindu, the Supreme Court bench comprising of Chief Justice J.S. Khehar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud agreed to grant two more weeks to the authorities to remove the encroachments and told the Deputy Collector to ensure that its order is complied with. This order came after the Haji Ali Dargah trust expressed inability to clear the encroachment.
(Source: Mid-Day)
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5. IIT-Bombay Students’ Hunger Strike: MP Shashi Tharoor Calls Fee Hike ‘Unreasonable’
A day after students of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) started a relay hunger strike against a fee hike imposed by the institute, support is pouring in from all avenues.
On Tuesday morning, day two of the hunger strike, MP Shashi Tharoor tweeted in support of students and requested the government to stay the hike and intervene in this matter.
“Students at IIT-Bombay protesting an unreasonable fee hike. Government should stay the hike and provide full explanation,” stated a tweet by Tharoor on Tuesday afternoon.
Students at IIT-B started a relay hunger strike from Monday afternoon. They have been boycotting classes from the third week of June as mark of protest.
In May this year, the management of IIT-B introduced a hike in fees for the new academic session, including a 300% hike in hostel rent, 167% in gymkhana fee, 100% hike in exams, registration and medical fees and around 50% hike in other charges.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
6. Elphinstone Road Will Be Prabhadevi Next Week
WITHIN a week after the name of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) was changed to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Elphinstone Road station on the Western Railway will soon see a change in its name to Prabhadevi station. A circular released by the Western Railway (WR) on Tuesday has asked the changes to made.
In December last year, the state assembly had passed a resolution asking the Central government to rename Elphinstone Road station and add ‘Maharaj’ to the names of the erstwhile CST and Mumbai airport. The move comes after the Shiv Sena had asked for the name changes of these stations to give it a more local flavour.
“As the circular has been issued now, we will be making the required changes within a week. The changes will include rewriting the name signboards of respective railway stations, passenger announcement and making the change in the time table,” said Ravindra Bhaker, chief public relations officer, Western Railway.
(Source: The Indian Express)
7. HC to Maharashtra: Don’t Pay Lip Service, What Have You Done To Protect Women In Public Places?
Cautioning the state against paying "lip service", the Bombay high court on Tuesday sought details of how it is implementing steps for safety of women in public places and at work places.
A division bench of Justice R M Savant and Justice Sadhana Jadhav heard a public interest litigation taken up suo motu in November 2012 after confirmation of death penalty to two accused in the Pune BPO rape-murder case.
"On paper, it is Ram Rajya," remarked Justice Sadhana. Justice Savant added, "It seems hunky dory. Actual fact is that if somebody goes to the police station, you say it a civil matter." The high court bench was referring to the home department's June 10 affidavit in compliance of the court's earlier directions. Prosecutor Prajakta Shinde informed the court that helplines have been set up across Maharashtra, including Mumbai, and regular seminars conducted to which Justice Jadhav asked, "For whom?" Justice Savant added, "What steps have you taken to approach private sector companies? You have to be equally concerned about private sector. There will have to be private participation ...not just government agencies."
(Source: The Times of India)
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