Mumbai court discharges ex-vice principal of law college in forged degree case
Mumbai (PTI): A Mumbai court has discharged the former woman vice principal of a law college here in a 2007 case about the alleged use of a forged BA degree to get admission in the institution, noting there is no material to remotely suggest she tampered with the document.
The charge-sheet against the accused advocate is filed with the "presumption" that she prepared a false document. There is no sufficient evidence to frame the charges against her, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (Esplanade court) Vinod Ramrao Patil said in the judgment on February 9.
The prosecution alleged that Chitra Salunkhe used a forged Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree while taking admission in the LLB and LLM courses in Siddharth Law College.
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Salunkhe, then being the college's vice principal, submitted a false and forged certificate to get admission. She did not pass the BA examination and hence committed cheating and forgery, the police charged.
The case had led to her termination as vice-principal of the college.
Salunkhe, through her lawyer, contended that the allegations against her were groundless. Some high-ranked police officers falsely implicated her in the crime, she submitted.
The defence also highlighted a report by a former DGP, which suggested Salunkhe had been harassed and prosecuted over the years by colleagues based on her gender and caste.
The court noted that the investigation officer failed to produce or seize the alleged forged degree certificate.
"There is no material on record to remotely suggest that the accused has tampered the document," it said.
The charge-sheet against the accused is filed "with the presumption that the accused prepared a false document", the court observed.
"It is settled law that while dealing with the discharge application, when the two views are equally possible and the judge is satisfied that evidence adduced before him giving rise to some suspicion but not grave suspicion against the accused, he will be fully within his right to discharge the accused," the magistrate said.
While accepting the discharge plea, the court also pointed out that the charges against the accused were not proved in the departmental inquiry.
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DJ Black Coffee's event in Goa cancelled after NOC revoked on Good Friday
Panaji (PTI): The Goa leg of Grammy-winning South African DJ Black Coffee's India tour was cancelled at the last minute on Friday evening after authorities revoked the event's No Objection Certificate (NOC), a move intended to honour the solemnity of Good Friday.
Officials on Saturday cited the need to respect local sentiments and the religious significance of the day as the primary reason for withdrawing the permission previously granted to host the "Sunset-to-Night" event.
The opposition Congress demanded a probe by the Economic Offences Cell of the state against the organisers.
The revocation of permission by the Communidade of Anjuna, in whose land the event was scheduled to be hosted, followed an objection by locals and the Congress, citing the solemn occasion of Good Friday and the upcoming Easter Sunday.
Local police officials confirmed that the organisers of "Sunset to Night" have cancelled the event, leaving many revellers disappointed.
Sebastian D'Souza, an attorney of Communidade of Anjuna, in a letter addressed to organisers, stated that the NOC granted to them on March 4, 2026, to host the musical event on April 3 in survey number 206/1 of Anjuna village has been unanimously revoked by the managing committee.
D'Souza stated that the date coincides with Holy Week, particularly Good Friday.
"This has been decided in the interest of residents of Anjuna, Vagator and Chapora," the letter reads.
The Comunidade of Anjuna is a traditional, collective land-holding institution in North Goa, part of the twelve comunidades of Bardez.
A huge crowd assembled outside the venue of the programme on Friday night as the word spread about the cancellation.
Several netizens posted reels on social media claiming they were informed about the cancellation at the last minute.
Earlier, the Congress had objected to hosting such an event on the sacred occasion of Good Friday, calling it "deeply insensitive and unacceptable."
"Your event, @Paradoxindia_, in Goa on the sacred occasion of Good Friday is deeply insensitive and unacceptable. @RealBlackCoffee , this is not just about music- it is about respecting faith. By going ahead with a techno show on a day of mourning for Christians, you have hurt religious sentiments not just in Goa, but across the world," Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Amit Patkar had written on X.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Patkar said that the state Congress would file a complaint with the Economic Offences Cell (EOC) against the organisers for allegedly selling tickets online without obtaining necessary permissions from authorities such as the Goa Pollution Control Board and the Fire and Emergency Services.
The event organisers could not be contacted immediately for their comment on the Congress leader's claim.
While at least 3,000 people had arrived in Goa to attend the event, the access road to the venue was not wide enough for Fire and Emergency Services vehicles to reach, Patkar claimed.
