The Brave Pedestrian

Mumbai, 31st March, 2017: Unknown to most Mumbaikars, MCGM issued a circular last week giving notice that the Capital Valuation for the forthcoming years has been completed for determining property tax applicable to property owners and that "they will be available for inspection at the office of the Asstt. Assessor and Collector in the respective wards … between 23rd March 2017 to 13th April 2017." It added that "complaints against the Capital Values... must be made in writing by the property owners themselves or by the persons duly authorized by them under a power of attorney." BMC’s notice may be downloaded from this link:   http://bit.ly/MCGM-Notice-23-3-2017 Sometimes, the assessment department makes mistakes in fixing the capital value, which results in huge disputed dues. If the window of opportunity given under the circular is not promptly availed, then property owners such as housing societies are left with the costly option of going to...

Email received from Sulaiman Bhimani is reproduced below, to ensure his physical safety today evening, OR, in the eventuality of assault on him in Aurangabad, to point towards the culprits. To The Commissioner of police Aurangabad City Respected Sir Subject:   Apprehension of physical assault and criminal intimidation by Ramzan Charania (9850560505) staying at Fazalpura near collector office opp  Gulshan Mahal Request to take preventive action under Crpc 151 as I am from Mumbai and have come to perform last rites of my uncle Abdul Aziz Bhimani. Sir Ramzan charaniya had yesterday abused me and threatened me while I was performing last rites of my uncle in Padegaon JK and there is apprehension he will do the same today evening @ 7 pm while performing my religious ceremony after the burial of my uncle I need police intervention if he does it today also kindly go through the message send to our President. Ramzan Charaniya Ya Ali Madad P...

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Mumbai, 14 March, 2015: Planning to kill yourself and your family after a tasty meal? Go to Golden Chariot Restaurant. Blocked fire-exits and various other dangerous practices makes this restaurant at Goregaon's Hub Mall your best bet at achieving a fiery death. Although activists like Shaikh Fakhruddin Junaid, Sulaiman Bhimani and myself have repeatedly pointed it out to Mumbai's Municipal Corporation and Mumbai Fire Brigade, the ability of Golden Chariot to bribe the powers-that-be and also abuse judicial processes has helped it to survive. But orders passed by MCGM and Fire Brigade in 2017 suggest that Golden Chariot's goose is being slowly cooked. After the restaurant finally caught fire on 29th December, 2016 (read newspaper reports here and here ), civic authorities are finding it difficult to dodge their responsibility to ensure public safety by sealing it. Deputy Municipal Commissioner Kiran Achrekar and Deputy Chief Fire Officer V N Panigrahi have ordere...

Bangalore, 11th March, 2017: Advocate K. V. Dhanajay yesterday filed an application in Karnataka High Court seeking the recusal of Justice B S Patil from Writ Petition No. 4470 of 2015 (GM-RES). He pointed out that Justice Patil was disqualified from hearing the tobacco cases as his daughter Monica Patil was an Advocate with Poovayya & Co., the law firm representing the leading tobacco companies. Poovayya & Co lists Monica Patil, daughter of Justice BS Patil on its website.  Read Recusal application to High Court of Karnataka: http://bit.ly/Tobacco-Karnataka-HC Advocate Dhananjay and others appearing on behalf of various NGOs propagating stricter controls on tobacco, have questioned the way in which tobacco manufacturers from various states have all filed before Karnataka High Court seeking relief from 85% graphic warning on tobacco packaging. Advocate Dhananjay, Activist Ravi Krishna Reddy, and many others, alleged that the bench headed by Justice B S ...

This is the text of the impleadment application of Activist Ravi Krishna Reddy as an opposing Respondent in the matter referred to in my recent post titled  What makes Karnataka High Court the Darling of Tobacco Lobby? The below impleadment application was recently heard in open court . The application describes how the tobacco lobby, led by ITC Limited, is abusing the judicial process. ---------------------------------------------------- "The case above is part of a batch of cases. This batch is currently being heard by a Bench of this Hon’ble Court. Tobacco companies and tobacco trade groups have questioned the legality and constitutionality of the 85% pictorial warning on tobacco packs – the Cigarettes And Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling Amendment) Rules, 2014. The case above was filed in the Karnataka High Court itself. The 85% pictorial warning on tobacco packs alerts about the inherently dangerous, harmful and toxic nature of tobacco to the uns...