PM inaugurates Atal Setu, longest sea bridge in country connecting Mumbai with Navi Mumbai
Mumbai, Jan 12: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the Rs 17,840 crore Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu, the longest bridge as well as the longest sea bridge in the country connecting south Mumbai with Nhava-Sheva in Navi Mumbai.
The six-lane trans-harbour bridge is 21.8 km long with a 16.5 km long sea-link.
The bridge will provide faster connectivity to the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport and reduce the travel time between Mumbai and Pune. It will also improve connectivity between the Mumbai Port and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port.
The foundation stone of the bridge had been laid by prime minister Modi in December 2016.
The PM on Friday also laid the foundation stone of an underground road tunnel connecting the Eastern Freeway in eastern Mumbai to Marine Drive in south Mumbai.
The 9.2 km tunnel will be built at a cost of more than Rs 8700 crore.
𝐀 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲!
— Vineet Vats Tyagi (@vineetvatstyagi) January 12, 2024
Experience the grandeur of the Atal Setu, India's longest sea bridge.#AtalSetu #MumbaiGetsAtalSetu #AtalSeaLink pic.twitter.com/00zwDn26WG
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Delhi court acquits activist Medha Patkar in defamation case filed by LG V K Saxena
New Delhi (PTI): A court here on Saturday acquitted social activist Medha Patkar in a criminal defamation case filed by Delhi L-G V K Saxena, saying the prosecution failed to prove that she made the alleged defamatory statements during a television programme in 2006.
The complaint was filed by Saxena, then president of the National Council for Civil Liberties, alleging that Patkar had defamed him during a TV programme.
Judicial Magistrate First Class Raghav Sharma, while hearing the case, said the complainant had failed to produce legally admissible evidence to establish that Patkar had made the impugned statements.
According to the complaint, Patkar had allegedly claimed during the programme that Saxena and his NGO had received civil contracts connected with the Sardar Sarovar project, an allegation Saxena denied and termed defamatory.
The court said the material on record showed that Patkar was not a panellist on the programme and that only a short pre-recorded video clip of her was played during the telecast.
"It is important to note that neither the reporter who actually recorded the audio-video nor any person who had seen the accused making the impugned statements has been examined as a witness.
"It is also crucial to note that the clip played in the programme/show appears to be only a very short clipping from an interview or press conference of the accused," the judge said.
The court noted that to establish anything in the case, it is essential to produce the entire video and audio of the press conference before the court about the alleged defamatory remarks given by the accused.
"Without examining the entire clip or footage of that interview, no determination can be made regarding the speech of the accused," the judge said.
The court said that Saxena failed to place on record the original video footage or the recording device that allegedly captured the defamatory remarks, and as a result, the statements attributed to Patkar could not be established.
"The only document capable of proving that the accused made the impugned statements would be the original electronic device in which such statements were recorded," the court said, adding that neither the device nor a valid secondary copy was placed on record.
The case was filed before a court in Ahmedabad. It was transferred to Delhi in 2010 on the orders of the Supreme Court.
In the absence of legally admissible evidence proving publication of defamatory statements by Patkar, the court acquitted her of the charge under IPC Section 500 (defamation).
In August 2025, in a separate defamation case filed by VK Saxena, the Supreme Court confirmed Patkar's conviction ordered by the trial court and set aside a penalty of Rs 1 lakh imposed on her in the case.
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