Maharashtra

Publisher Issues Apology After Bombay High Court's DirectiveKolhapur: Following a directive from the Bombay High Court, Oxford University Press has issued an apology to Chhatrapati Udayanraje Bhosale, the 13th descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The apology comes after unverified statements were published in James Lane’s 2003 book, Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India. These statements, which appeared on four pages of the book, had caused widespread offense, leading to protests and even an attack on a history research center in Pune. The public apology was printed in newspapers by Oxford University Press India on Tuesday. The publisher acknowledged that certain claims on pages 31, 33, 34, and 93 of the book had not been properly verified before being published. The press expresse...

Hyderabad: The debate over population and family size has taken a political turn in India, as AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi responded sharply to statements made by Maharashtra leader Navneet Rana urging Hindus to have more children. Owaisi’s remarks also came amid recent comments by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on ‘Love Jihad.’ “I Already Have Six Children”Rana had earlier suggested that Hindus should have at least three to four children to counter those who, according to her, aim to change India’s demographic balance. Responding to this, Owaisi said, “I already have six children. Who is stopping you from having four?” He added that in Maharashtra, individuals with more than two children are restricted from contesting panchayat elections—a rule that had also applied in Telang...

Mumbai: After an 11-year-long legal battle, industrialist Jaidev Shroff and his wife Poonam Shroff have officially divorced. The Bandra Family Court has granted the divorce, ordering Jaidev Shroff to pay a one-time alimony of ₹10 crore to Poonam. Alimony Claims and Court OrdersPoonam Shroff had sought a staggering ₹1,000 crore in alimony, but her petition was rejected by the court. Instead, the court directed Jaidev Shroff to pay a lump sum of ₹10 crore within three months as full and final settlement. The court also dismissed Poonam’s claims for lifelong residence in the Bandra marital home and rights over any overseas properties. It ruled that the marriage, solemnized in 2004 and January 2005 under Hindu Vedic rites and the Special Marriage Act, ended in divorce on the grounds of c...

In an unusual turn of events in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya’s son, Neil Somaiya, is all but assured victory in Ward 107, Mulund, even before polling begins. Major political parties, including the Thackeray-led MNS, Congress, and NCP, have not fielded a candidate against him, creating a near-certain path to win. Reacting to the situation, Kirit Somaiya remarked on social media, calling it a reflection of divine will: “God is great.” He added that the Thackeray brothers, along with Congress and NCP, failed to put forward candidates, leaving Neil Somaiya unchallenged in the crucial ward. Ward 107: A BJP Stronghold Mulund has long been considered a BJP bastion, with significant Gujarati and Marwari communities forming the backbone of part...

Pune/Mumbai: Senior NCP leader and former minister Dhananjay Munde, a prominent OBC face in Maharashtra politics, has received significant relief from the Beed district court in a case involving a marital dispute. The court rejected a petition seeking the cancellation of his nomination papers due to insufficient evidence. The petition was filed by Karuna Sharma Munde, who claimed to be Munde’s wife and alleged that he had concealed crucial information in his 2024 assembly election nomination forms. The Parli Vaijnath court, presided over by Judicial Magistrate Deepak Borde, concluded that Munde did not hide any facts with the intention of influencing the election outcome. “The complainant has failed to establish a prima facie case against the accused. The allegedly concealed facts were ...