Maharashtra

Pune, May 25 (PTI) A lawyer representing some of the accused in the Narendra Dabholkar murder case was Saturday arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation, an official said.

Advocate Sanjeev Punalekar and a Sanatan Sanstha member identified as Vikram Bhave were held from Mumbai and will be produced in a Pune court on Sunday, the CBI official said.

He said preliminary probe had revealed that Punalekar was known to one of the shooters of Dabholkar.

Mumbai, May 24 (PTI) The National Investigation Agency Friday filed a charge sheet in a case related to alleged attempts for revival of Sikh militancy with the ultimate objective of creating a separate 'Khalistan State'.

The Maharashtra ATS had registered a case in this regard in December last year, following which one Harpal Singh Naik from Pune was arrested, the NIA said in a press note.

The Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) found a firearm and five bullets from Naik.

Mumbai, May 24 (PTI) Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil Friday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the BJP's Lok Sabha victory, but also called for a permanent solution to EVM-related issues to ensure poll transparency.

Former Maharashtra minister Patil said people would lose faith in the election process in the absence of such transparency.

Patil's comments come a day after NCP president Sharad Pawar Thursday said he accepted the mandate gracefully and that he would not blame the EVMs following the result.

Mumbai, May 23 (PTI) MNS chief Raj Thackeray, who had vociferously campaigned against the BJP, Thursday termed the Lok Sabha poll trends suggesting a landslide victory for the ruling party as "beyond rationale" and "incomprehensible".

"Beyond rationale! #Verdict2019," the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief tweeted.

In another post on the micro-blogging site, he said the results were "anakalniya" (incomprehensible).

Mumbai, May 23 (PTI) Congress' Mumbai-North Lok Sabha seat candidate Urmila Matondkar on Thursday alleged that there was a mismatch in signatures on an electronic voting machine (EVM) form.

The actor, who was trailing against BJP's Gopal Shetty by over 1,45,991 votes, said a complaint was filed with the Election Commission in this connection.

"On the form of EVM 17C from Magathane, the signatures and the machine numbers are different. A complaint has been filed with the Election Commission," she said in a tweet.

Mumbai, May 21 (PTI) A special court here has granted exemption to the 2008 Malegaon blast case accused Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Prasad Purohit and Sudhakar Chaturvedi from appearing before it this week.

When the matter was taken up by the special NIA court on Monday, the three accused filed applications through their lawyers seeking exemption from appearance.

While Thakur and Chaturvedi said they are busy with preparations for the upcoming results of the Lok Sabha polls, which they had contested, Purohit cited personal difficulties.

Nagpur, May 20 (PTI) Commandos and naxals exchanged fire Monday in jungle in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, more than 140 kms from here, police said.

A team of C-60 commandos of Gadchiroli police came under fire at around 7-7:30 pm while conducting an anti-naxal operation in Koparshi jungle in Bhamragad area, a press release stated.

Police said naxals fled after commandos returned the fire.

Thane, May 20 (PTI) Six persons were arrested Monday from Uran in Navi Mumbai for allegedly looting 25 tonne copper, worth Rs 1.5 crore, from a container truck on May 14, police said.

The incident occurred between Ghavan Phata and Belapur Reti bunder when the truck carrying copper was headed towards Silvassa, the capital of Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

A gang of six men sitting in a car stopped the truck, attacked its driver, and fled with 25 tonne copper, a police officer said.

Palghar, May21(PTI) A 20-year-old mentally challenged woman was allegedly raped by an unidentified man in Palghar district of Maharashtra, police said on Tuesday.

The offence came to light some days back when doctors found that she was pregnant, a police spokesperson said.

Thane, May 19 (PTI) A court here has awarded seven years' rigorous imprisonment to a 55-year-old man for sexually abusing a minor girl in 2017.

Special judge (POCSO court) Kavita D Shirbhate in her order last Wednesday also imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 on the accused, Janardhan Kapse.

According to the prosecution, on December 13, 2017, the accused called the girl, then aged five years, to his house here on the pretext of giving her a chocolate and sexually abused her.