Maharashtra Deputy CM's wife files FIR case against designer; cites threat, attempts to bribe her
Mumbai (PTI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's wife Amruta Fadnavis has filed a police case against a "designer" for allegedly trying to offer her money to intervene in a criminal case as well as threatening her, a police official said here on Thursday.
On Amruta's complaint, a first information report (FIR) was registered on February 20 at the Malabar Hill police station against the woman, identified by her as Aniksha, and her father, the official said. No one has been arrested in the case so far, the official said.
As per the FIR, Aniksha was in touch with Amruta for the past 16 months and also visited her residence.
In her statement to the police, Amruta said she first met Aniksha in November 2021.
Aniksha claimed that she was a designer of clothes, jewellery and footwear and requested the deputy CM's wife to wear them at public events saying it would help her promote the products, said the official from Malabar Hill police station.
Aniksha allegedly told Amruta that her mother was no more and she was taking care of her family's finances, the official said.
After gaining Amruta's trust, Aniksha offered to provide her with information on some bookies through which, she claimed, they could make money, the official said.
She then directly offered Amruta Rs 1 crore to get her father off the hook in a police case, said the official.
Amruta told the police that she was upset by Aniksha's behaviour and blocked her number, the official said.
The woman then allegedly sent Amruta video clips, voice notes and many messages from an unknown number. She and her father indirectly threatened and conspired against Amruta, said the official citing the FIR.
The city police have registered the FIR against Aniksha and her father under Indian Penal Code sections 120-B (conspiracy) and the Prevention of Corruption Act sections pertaining to using corrupt and illegal means to induce a public servant.
An investigation is underway and no arrest has been made so far, the official added.
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AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan moves SC against Waqf Bill
New Delhi, Apr 5 (PTI): Aam Aadmi Party MLA Amanatullah Khan has moved the Supreme Court, challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
In his plea, Khan sought that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill be declared as "unconstitutional and being violative of Articles 14, 15, 21, 25, 26, 29, 30 and 300-A of the Constitution" and sought direction for striking it down.
"The Bill violates fundamental rights enshrined under Articles 14, 15, 21, 25, 26, 29, 30, and 300-A of the Constitution. It curtails the religious and cultural autonomy of Muslims, enables arbitrary executive interference, and undermines minority rights to manage their religious and charitable institutions," Khan's plea said.
On Friday, Congress MP Mohammad Jawed and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi moved the apex court, challenging the validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, saying it violated the constitutional provisions.
Jawed's plea alleged the Bill imposed "arbitrary restrictions" on Waqf properties and their management, undermining the religious autonomy of the Muslim community.
The petition, filed through advocate Anas Tanwir, said the proposed law discriminated against the Muslim community by "imposing restrictions that are not present in the governance of other religious endowments".
The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha with 128 members voting in favour and 95 opposing it. It was passed in the Lok Sabha early April 3 with 288 members supporting it and 232 against it.
Jawed, a Lok Sabha MP from Kishanganj in Bihar, was a member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Bill and has alleged in his plea that the Bill "introduces restrictions on the creation of Waqfs based on the duration of one's religious practice".
"Such a limitation is unfounded in Islamic law, custom or precedent and infringes upon the fundamental right to profess and practice religion under Article 25," it said.
In his separate plea, Owaisi said the Bill takes away from Waqfs various protections which were accorded to Waqfs and Hindu, Jain, and Sikh religious and charitable endowments alike.
Owaisi's plea, filed by advocate Lzafeer Ahmad, said, "This diminishing of the protection given to Waqfs while retaining them for religious and charitable endowments of other religions constitutes hostile discrimination against Muslims and is violative of Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution, which prohibit discrimination on the grounds of religion."
The plea argued the amendments "irreversibly dilute" the statutory protections afforded to Waqfs and their regulatory framework while giving "undue advantage" to other stakeholders and interest groups, undermining years of progress and pushing back Waqf management by several decades.
"Appointing non-Muslims on the Central Waqf Council and the State Waqf Boards disturbs this delicate constitutional balance and tilts it to the detriment of the right of Muslims as a religious group to remain in control of their Waqf properties," Owaisi said.
