Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will ask NCP minister Dhananjay Munde to step down if any evidence is found linking him to sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh's murder, his cabinet colleague Chandrakant Patil has said. A comprehensive probe is being conducted into the murder of Deshmukh, BJP leader Patil told reporters in Sangli on Sunday. Walmik Karad, an associate of minister Munde, has been arrested in an extortion case linked to the sarpanch's killing. Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed district, was abducted, tortured and killed on December 9 for trying to stop an extortion attempt against an energy firm operating a windmill project there. Munde, the NCP MLA from Parli in Beed district, is under attack from some of the ruling alliance colleagues and the opposition over his links with Karad. The Maharashtra government has already seized properties of the accused in sarpanch Deshmukh murder case. Stringent charges have been invoked and the probe is going on, the BJP leader said. The police machinery is actively investigating the case, and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has also been formed for a probe into it, Patil said. Additionally, a committee headed by a retired judge has been constituted to oversee the inquiry, the minister said. Steps are being taken, including invocation of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against Walmik Karad and other accused, Patil pointed out. The process of seizing Karad's assets is also underway, he added.
'I had not even realised I had done almost 100 films.'
Pawar recalled that he was a member of a delegation sent by former prime minister P V Narasimha Rao to the UN under the leadership of BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The Maharashtra government has transferred Rs 17,505.90 crore into the bank accounts of 2.38 crore women beneficiaries under its Ladki Bahin Yojana till December 2024, in the first five months after the scheme was launched. The scheme, launched in August 2024, provides financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month to eligible women. The objective of the scheme is to promote employment and economic development by providing adequate facilities to women and girls in the age group 21 to 65 years. The scheme aims to promote the empowerment of women and girls and improve the health and nutritional status of women and children dependent on them.
Gandhi cited the example of Maharashtra assembly elections, claiming there was an addition of 65 lakh voters to the voter list in two hours, "which was impossible."
The slain sarpanch's brother Dhananjay Deshmukh met Jarange in Beed on Thursday, a day after Karad was sent to the custody of a Special Investigation Team of the Maharashtra police.
During the Gudhi Padwa festival, Hindus visit Hazrat Sayyad Badshah Dargah near the mosque, a villager said.
The Gujarat police have arrested three individuals for allegedly acquiring hacked videos of women patients and selling them through YouTube and Telegram. The accused, who hail from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, reportedly used international hackers to obtain the clips, which appeared to be from CCTV footage of a Rajkot-based hospital. The police identified and arrested the trio who were allegedly running this racket, after videos of women patients being examined by doctors inside the labour room of a hospital were circulated online.
Walmik Karad, a close aide of Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde, has been charged with ordering the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, who allegedly opposed Karad's extortion bid targeting a wind energy company. According to a chargesheet filed by the state Crime Investigation Department (CID), Karad allegedly asked his associates to "eliminate" anyone who interfered with their extortion attempt. Deshmukh was abducted, tortured, and murdered in December 2024 after he attempted to stop the extortion bid. Karad and several others have been charged with murder, extortion, and organized crime.
It is important to note that confessions made to the police under MCOCA are admissible as evidence in court. It is also difficult to secure bail under the MCOCA.
According to the woman, as she was waiting for a bus for Phaltan in Satara district at one of the platforms around 5.45 am on Tuesday, a man approached her and engaged her in conversation, calling her 'Didi' (sister), and said the bus for Satara had arrived at another platform.
Beleaguered Maharashtra minister Dhananjay Munde resigned from the cabinet on Tuesday, days after his close aide Walmik Karad was named as the mastermind in the murder of a village sarpanch and three months after the new Mahayuti government assumed office.
A special court in Thane, India, has acquitted six individuals, including a former corporator, in an extortion case. The court cited "lack of evidence" and "procedural lapses" by the prosecution, as well as "unreliable testimonies" of witnesses, as reasons for granting the accused the benefit of doubt.
A Special Investigation Team of Maharashtra Police told a court at Beed on Wednesday that Santosh Deshmukh was killed because he was thought to be an obstacle in a plan to extort Rs 2 crore from an energy firm, and Walmik Karad was in contact with his killers when the crime was executed.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has alleged that leaders of the opposition Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) were involved in a "conspiracy" against his cabinet colleague Jaykumar Gore in a case involving a woman. Fadnavis said there was proof of communication between NCP leaders Supriya Sule and Rohit Pawar, and one of the accused in the case where three persons, including the woman, have been arrested for trying to extort money from Gore. He also pointed to Gore's acquittal more than five years ago in a case involving the woman's allegations of harassment. Fadnavis emphasized that opposition and ruling parties are political opponents and not enemies. The CM also criticized the behavior of some opposition members in the state assembly, accusing them of insulting the House and pressuring ministers.
The Bombay High Court expressed its dismay over the Maharashtra government's failure to register an FIR against five policemen involved in the custodial death of Akshay Shinde, despite an explicit court order. The court, alleging a deliberate attempt to disregard its directives, threatened contempt proceedings against senior CID officers for non-compliance. The case pertains to Shinde's death while in police custody, accused of sexually assaulting two kindergarten girls in Badlapur. An inquiry report by a magistrate indicted the five policemen, suggesting a possible fake encounter. The court emphasized the importance of following the rule of law and stated that the government's inaction would send a detrimental message to society.
Dhananjay Deshmukh, brother of slain Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, climbed a village water tank on Monday and threatened to jump alleging that information about the investigation was not shared with the family. He demanded that the accused in the extortion case linked to sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh's murder be booked under murder charges. Family members of the slain sarpanch and Opposition leaders are demanding that state minister Dhananjay Munde's aide Walmik Karad, arrested in a related extortion case, be booked for murder. Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village, was abducted, tortured, and murdered on December 9. Preliminary investigation suggests that the sarpanch had tried to thwart an extortion bid on an energy firm operating a windmill project in the region. After climbing down the water tank, Dhananjay told reporters that he trusted Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' assurance on the probe. He further said his agitation was not a drama but a serious yearning for justice for his brother.
The drug network was busted based on an intelligence input received by the Crime Branch, he said, adding that three persons were arrested and a case has been registered by the DRI.
The Bombay High Court has criticized the Maharashtra CID for its "lackadaisical" probe into the killing of the Badlapur school sexual assault case accused, Akshay Shinde, in an alleged police shootout on September 23. The court pointed to several lacunae in the investigation, including the lack of gunshot residue on Shinde's hands and fingerprints on the water bottle he was given. The court directed the CID to complete the probe in two weeks and submit all relevant material to the magistrate.
The shocking incident occurred on Saturday night when the woman and her cousin were sitting together at a secluded spot near their home in Shirur tehsil of the western Maharashtra district, he said, adding the accused have been arrested.
Ahead of the Maharashtra assembly polls, the Election Commission on Monday directed the state government to transfer Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla with immediate effect following complaints from political parties, including the Congress, sources said.
A few days back, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation issued a notice to Khan, citing various lapses and lack of the building plan approval (for his house), sources said.
The Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested a Gujarat resident from Akola in Maharashtra in connection with the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 25. Salmanbhai Iqbalbhai Vohra, a resident of Petlad in Gujarat's Anand district, was arrested from Balapur in Akola. The 66-year-old NCP leader was gunned down on October 12 near his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique's office in Bandra East's Nirmal Nagar area. Vohra is alleged to have provided financial support to some of the accused in the case, including the brother of arrested accused Gurmail Singh.
The Bombay high court on Monday ordered a first information report (FIR) against five policemen for the custodial death of Badlapur sexual assault case accused Akshay Shinde, allegedly shot dead in a police van in September 2024, and setting up of an Special Investigation Team, noting that a prima facie offence is disclosed.
A video clip of three accused in an extortion case linked to the murder of sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh, walking together has emerged on social media. The video also shows a suspended police officer in the group accompanying the accused. The video has sparked controversy and raised questions about the involvement of the police in the case. BJP MLA Suresh Dhas has demanded that the suspended police officer be named as a co-accused in the case and that action be taken against other police officers who have been accused of wrongdoing.
Despite being 90% handicapped, suffering from multiple ailments and dependent on a wheelchair, the former Delhi University professor has not been able to step out of the anda cell of the Nagpur Jail at all since his conviction.
According to Kamra, an artist is left with only two choices under such circumstances. "Sell their soul and become a dollar puppet or wither in silence. This isn't just a playbook, it's a political weapon. A silencing machine," he wrote.
The Kerala police were the most sensitised to the rights of those arrested while that of Jharkhand and Gujarat the least.
Refusal to share his mPIN cost the businessman his life.
The Bombay high court on Wednesday said the probe into the killing of Badlapur sexual assault case accused Akshay Shinde in a shoot-out should be carried out in a fair and impartial manner.
In just the two months of 2025, six cases of student suicides took place in Kota.
'...in the minds of the youth of Assam.' 'Now, no protests happen in Assam because of fear of police encounters.'
Union Minister Raksha Khadse on Sunday lodged a police complaint regarding the harassment of her daughter and some of her friends by a group of boys at an event in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district.
The Supreme Court of India has granted interim police protection to Discovery Communications India officials who have been receiving threats from followers of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu. The threats were triggered by the release of a documentary series titled "Cult of Fear: Asaram Bapu". The court has directed the Centre and several state governments to ensure the safety of the petitioners, including their offices.
Police in Nagpur, Maharashtra, have formed 18 special teams to track down and arrest those involved in the violence that erupted in the city on Monday. As of Thursday, 69 people have been arrested in connection with the riots, while 200 accused have been identified and another 1,000 suspects are being investigated based on CCTV footage. The violence, which was sparked by rumors about a religious artifact being burnt during protests, led to injuries to 33 police personnel and damage to property.
From demonetisation to sub-categorisation of Scheduled Castes to bulldozers, Justice Gavai has been part of several judgments.
A hunting expedition by a group of villagers went fatally wrong as one of them was shot dead by some other members, who allegedly mistook him for a wild boar in a forest area in Maharashtra's Palghar district, police said on Wednesday.
The Enforcement Directorate said on Monday that it had conducted search operations at four locations in Mumbai and Delhi as part of its money laundering investigation into an alleged Rs 4,500 crore (Rs 45 billion) fraud by Pancard Clubs Limited and others, in which more than 5 million investors have been duped.
The SIT will be headed by Crime Investigation Department's (CID) Deputy Inspector General Basavraj Teli, said an order issued by the state Home department.
He clarified that Siddique was provided a non-categorised security and was allotted three police constables.
