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The bench urged the state government to identify convenient locations in each civic ward to dump confiscated or seized vehicles.

Mumbai’s streets, gasping for space, can no longer double as graveyards for abandoned vehicles, the Bombay High Court has said with a clear order to all police stations for strict implementation of the traffic police’s directives for disposal of such vehicles.

A bench of Justices G S Kulkarni and Advait Sethna said mere dumping of such vehicles at a dumping yard won’t suffice and called for continuous action to dispose of them.

The order was passed on May 8.

“In a city like Mumbai, which has an acute scarcity of space and limited space on public roads and footpaths, such public spaces cannot be encroached by dumping or storing vehicles seized or confiscated by the police,” the bench said.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Marathon Maxima Co-op Housing Society, which raised concerns about parking/dumping of towed or confiscated vehicles by a nearby police station outside the society’s gates, causing obstruction.

The additional commissioner of police, traffic department, in an affidavit, said a communication was issued to all police stations across the city last month, advising that all abandoned or confiscated vehicles shall be moved to a dumping yard.

The bench urged the state government to identify convenient locations in each civic ward to dump confiscated or seized vehicles.

“Merely dumping of the vehicles at the dumping site would not suffice. In the event these vehicles are no longer required, a continuous action is required to be taken to dispose of these vehicles, for which appropriate advisory needs to be issued,” the court said.

The court posted the matter for further hearing on July 2 and asked the traffic department to mention the steps it proposes to take for a long-term solution to the issues raised in the plea.

It further said the directives issued in the communication have to be meticulously followed by all police stations.

The bench directed the officer in-charge of police stations to adhere to the directions and not accumulate vehicles outside police stations.

“We clarify that the directions issued by the traffic department ought not to fall on deaf ears and needs to be strictly followed and implemented by the police stations,” the court said.

It further stated that any breach of the orders will invite appropriate departmental action against the concerned officer.

As per the traffic police’s affidavit, a contract has also been awarded to a private company by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to identify and scrap such abandoned vehicles. 

The email was received at the email address of the Airport Police Station on Friday morning, an official said.

Mumbai Police received an email threatening to blow up the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in the city and Hotel Taj Mahal Palace with a bomb but it turned out to be a hoax, an official said on Saturday.

The email was received at the email address of the Airport Police Station on Friday morning, he said.

A thorough search was conducted at the airport as well as the luxury hotel located in suburban Santacruz but nothing suspicious was found, the police official said.

“Urgent: 7 RDX IEDs at TAJ Hotel/Airport, Evacuate All Public/Staffs Soon!” “The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai and the Chatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj Airport will fall victim to a devastating pipe bomb blast. This act commemorates the unjust hanging of Afzal Guru and Savukku Shankar!”, the email read.

A case was registered against an unidentified person for criminal intimidation, public mischief and other relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and further probe was underway, the official said.

Turkey is facing a massive backlash in India after it was found that Pakistan, after Operation Sindoor, launched attacks on the Indian civilian and military areas using drones supplied by Turkish firms.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay on Saturday joined several other prominent educational institutions in India to cancel agreements with Turkish universities over its support to Pakistan.

The West Asian country is facing a massive backlash in India after it was found that Pakistan, after Operation Sindoor, launched attacks on the Indian civilian and military areas using drones supplied by Turkish defence firms.

“Due to the current geopolitical situation involving Turkey, IIT Bombay is processing suspension of its agreements with Turkish universities until further notice,” the premier technological institute in India wrote on X.

The development comes days after Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Jamia Millia Islamia also announced similar moves.

Boycott Turkey, Azerbaijan Move

Indian tourists have started cancelling trips to Turkey and Azerbaijan over their support for Pakistan.

According to reports, Turkey witnessed over 3 lakh Indian visitors in 2024 and earned around Rs 42.9 billion. Azerbaijan, which saw more than 2 lakh Indian tourists last year, earned about Rs 26 billion.

Traders’ body, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), has also decided to boycott all trade and commercial engagement with Turkey and Azerbaijan, citing their recent “support” for Pakistan in the wake of Operation Sindoor, which was launched on May 7 after India found cross-border links to the deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam last month.

The CAIT on Friday said the decision includes a nationwide boycott of Turkish and Azerbaijani goods, with traders across India halting imports from these countries.

The association also said that Indian exporters, importers, and business delegations will be discouraged from any engagement with companies or institutions based in Turkey and Azerbaijan.

“The resolution comes in response to the recent stand taken by Turkey and Azerbaijan in open support of Pakistan, at a time when India is facing a sensitive and critical national security situation,” it said.

The Joint Commissioner of Police (Intelligence) will report to the Commissioner of Police and will be responsible for overseeing intelligence gathering, including keeping track of sleeper cells.

Mumbai has faced multiple terror attacks, and many security experts have pointed out that some of these attacks could have been tackled better or even prevented if the intelligence inputs had been taken note of, processed, and acted upon. The Mumbai Police is now starting a new position, with a Joint Commissioner of Police handling intelligence specifically. Dr Arti Singh, an IPS officer of the 2006 batch, will be taking charge as Mumbai’s first Joint Commissioner of Police (Intelligence) today.

This is the sixth post of a joint commissioner in the Mumbai Police organisational structure, which already has Joint Commissioners of Police for handling Law and Order, Crime, Administration, Economic Offences Wing and Traffic.

The Joint Commissioner of Police (Intelligence) will report to the Commissioner of Police directly and will be responsible for overseeing intelligence gathering, including keeping track of sleeper cells, officials said. Mumbai Police already has the Special Branch that monitors every development in the city, collects intelligence inputs as well as keeps track of the activities of sleeper cells and (terror) sympathisers.

“Under the new mechanism, the joint commissioner of Special Branch will report directly to the commissioner and will also coordinate with the joint commissioner (law and order), an official said.

Earlier, the Additional Commissioner (special branch), who gathered intelligence, reported to the Joint Commissioner (law and order). Now, the Additional Commissioner (special branch) will report to the Joint Commissioner (Intelligence).

The Home Department of Government of Maharashtra in its order to create the post said that Mumbai is the financial capital of the country, with several vital installations that need to be safeguarded, and a large number of VIPs who have a high threat perception.

The new post will primarily remove the bottlenecks in real-time intelligence processing and create a clear channel of actionable intelligence for the Mumbai Police, experts say.

With illegal infiltrators often heading to the city, the police hope the time lags in processing intelligence will be addressed.

The latest development comes after transfers and postings of top officers were announced following the appointment of Deven Bharti as the Commissioner of Police for Mumbai city earlier this month. Till now, the Mumbai Police had no specific Intelligence Unit, and the Special Branch of the Mumbai Police was largely responsible for intelligence gathering. Each department and its officers had a network of informants, but with the lack of a structured intelligence gathering and processing unit in an era of new crimes and targets, the need for a specific intelligence unit within the Mumbai Police was felt.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said the number of COVID-19 cases has increased in some Asian countries in recent days.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday appealed to the citizens not to panic, especially in the wake of serious illnesses. The advisory was issued after two women from Sindhudurg and Dombivli undergoing treatment at the city hospital, died on Sunday, due to multiple serious illnesses (Nephrotic syndrome with Hypocalcemic seizures, cancer). The BMC has clarified that they have not died due to COVID-19.

The BMC said, “COVID-19 is now considered an endemic and ongoing health problem. As the virus has become established at the community level, cases of COVID-19 are now sporadic and very rare.”

It said that in recent days, the number of COVID-19 cases has been increasing in Singapore, Hong Kong, East Asia and other countries.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s health department is constantly monitoring the spread of COVID-19 to keep it under control.

“The number of COVID-19 patients has been very low from January 2025 to April 2025. Some patients have been seen since May, however, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation administration is appealing to the citizens not to panic in this regard,” it said.

As per The BMC, treatment and guidance facilities are available in the civic hospitals, including Seven Hills Hospital has 20 beds (MICU), 20 beds for children and pregnant women and 60 general beds.

Kasturba Hospital has two intensive care (ICU) beds and a special ward of 10 beds with a provision to increase the capacity immediately.

“Common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough (dry or with phlegm), sore or achy throat, fatigue, body aches, and headache. Symptoms may also include a runny nose, a runny nose, and a loss of taste or smell. These symptoms can often be similar to those of a common cold and can vary from person to person. In severe cases, difficulty breathing is a major warning sign,” said the BMC advisory.

The BMC further said that COVID-19 can be prevented by taking proper precautions. Especially patients with serious illnesses and low immunity, such as cancer, the elderly, diabetes, high blood pressure and liver disease should take proper precautions.

The BMC has urged the citizens to consult a municipal clinic, hospital, or family doctor if they find symptoms like fever, cough (dry or with phlegm), sore or achy throat, fatigue, body aches, and headache.

The BMC has also appealed to the citizens to wear a mask in public if found with symptoms, keep distance from others, wash hands frequently with soap and water and follow a proper diet and take rest.

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