1. Jailed Artist Chintan's Painting Sells for 4.5 L
Chintan Upadhyay, who has been in prison for the last two years in connection with the murder of his wife Hema and her lawyer Harish Bhambani, is still a draw when it comes to his paintings. One of the painter and installation artist’s works, part of a recent exhibition of paintings by the inmates of Thane Jail, fetched Rs 4.5 lakh.
The buyer was none other than filmmaker and actor Aamir Khan’s wife Kiran Rao. The painting Rao picked up features an elephant with long, brittle legs, and appears to have been inspired by Spanish artist Salvador Dali’s works. Jail authorities told Mirror that the exhibition, held at a city school on December 2 and 3, was part of ‘Art from behind bars’ initiative.
The project is supported by Dagar Pathway Trust, a children’s community service project that works towards promoting artistic talent among prisoners across the state. The exhibition was a part of a students’ project.
The Dali-esque painting purchased by Rao was part of a couple of artworks Upadhyay had worked on about six months ago. The other painting is a blast of vibrant colours in a bouquet of blooming tulips, camellias and dry leaves.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
2. Explosive Allegations in Viral Video: I Gave Massages in Thane Civic Chief's Home: 15-Yr-Old Girl
Thane Municipal Commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal finds himself in the eye of a storm after a 15-year-old girl alleged in a video that she was employed in his bungalow, and forced to give midnight massages. The video has since gone viral, and activists in Thane are gunning for Jaiswal.
Meanwhile the municipal commissioner, known for his clean image, has claimed the 33-second video is an attempt to malign him. His family has alleged the girl, who was removed from their employ some time ago, used to steal and ‘spoil’ the bathroom, which is why she was sacked.
The video has been doing the rounds in Thane. When Thane activist Vikrant Karnik received it, he approached the Thane police along with another activist, Unmesh Bagwe, and requested the cops to conduct a detailed inquiry.
“The girl is a minor; 15 years old. How can anyone hire her?” Karnik said. He also alleged that after sacking the girl from his employ, Jaiswal had even ordered her shanty in Bhavani Nagar, Tikuji-ni-Wadi, Thane, demolished.”
Source: Mumbai Mirror
3. Railway Board Gives Clearance to AC Local
The much-awaited first airconditioned Mumbai local has at last received clearance from the railway board and is all set to run on the western suburban section.
Divisional Railway Manger of Western Railway, Mumbai central division Mukul Jain told Mirror on Tuesday that they have received clearance to commence the airconditioned local train services along the western suburban section and therefore the services will kickstart “very soon.”
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal had earlier in October announced that the AC local services would commence from January 1, 2018 however, during his recent visit, he announced the services to begin from December 25. According to information shared by railway sources, the services are likely to start on either date.
Source: Mumbai Mirror
4. RTI Activist Approaches HC for Appointment of CIC
Alleging that the state government is systematically subverting the Right to Information (RTI) Act and trying to shield itself from public scrutiny and accountability, activist Pradeep Bhalekar has written to the Acting Chief Justice of Bombay High Court complaining about the delay in the appointment of Maharashtra state Chief Information Commissioner (CIC).
Bhalekar said, “After Ratnakar Gaikwad’s retirement in May, the post of CIC has been lying vacant. This delay in the appointment of CIC is affecting the effective implementation of RTI.”
In his application, Bhalekar, a resident of Malad, wrote, “The RTI Act is under threat once again. It seems to be a deliberate attempt to cripple the transparency of the Act. This massive delay in appointing a new CIC is severely hampering the working of the information commission. There is already a huge backlog in the commission with close to 39,000 appeals and complaints pending. This ever-increasing backlog of cases challenges the citizens’ fundamental rights and creates roadblocks in fighting corruption. The new CIC will take months to clear the backlog. By not appointing the CIC, the Maharashtra state government is systematically subverting the Act and trying to shield itself from public scrutiny and accountability.”
Source: Mumbai Mirror
5. Shops and Establishments Can Now Run 24 Hours in State: Maharahstra Govt
The Maharashtra government Tuesday issued a notification allowing shops and establishments to remain open 24×7 across the state. However, it has imposed restrictions on timings of liqour shops and movie theatres, said sources.
In August, both the Houses of the legislature had cleared the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Bill, 2017 that allows shops to remain open 24×7. In September, the Governor gave his assent to the Bill. The Act came into effect after the state government issued a notification Tuesday.
“We issued a notification today and the Act comes into effect immediately. It will benefit around 34 lakh establishments across the state and they can operate seven days a week. Due to law and order issues raised by the Home department, we have imposed restrictions on theaters and liquors shops. While theaters will have to be shut by 1 pm, the existing timings of closure will remain for liquor shops,” state Labour Minister Sambhaji Patil told The Indian Express.
Source: The Indian Express
6. Mumbai: Public Prosecutor Alleges Sexual Harassment in Court
A public prosecutor has submitted a complaint to a sessions court judge alleging sexual harassment by two defence lawyers. The complainant has said that she was touched inappropriately twice, including once when she was making arguments before the court in a matter.
On Monday, the 37-year-old complainant approached the additional sessions judge and submitted her complaint in a sealed envelope for submission before the Internal Complaint Committee (ICC) formed in pursuance of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, for an inquiry.
She told the court that she was making the complaint before the judge since the incident took place in the courtroom and since she could not find any notification in the sessions court on the composition of the ICC. Court sources confirmed that the complaint had been received by the judge. Both incidents of sexual harassment took place in the same courtroom during hearings in the same matter in the last two weeks, the complainant has alleged.
Source: The Indian Express
7. Govt Tables Bill to Let Corporate Houses Open Private Schools in Maharashtra
The state government tabled a bill late on Monday to amend the Maharashtra Self-Financed Schools Act, 2012, so that corporate houses can start schools, too.
Currently, only trusts, registered societies and local authorities can run self-financed schools.
The amendment will allow companies registered as non-profit organisations under section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013, to set up schools. This will open the educational space to all corporates who will then only have to register non-profit firms.
The proposed amendment to section 3 of the Maharashtra Self-Financed Schools Act also reduces the space required to open a school in Mumbai to 500 square metres, from the current 2,000 square metres, and in other areas, to one acre from two.
Source: Hindustan Times
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