Prime accused Bhavesh Bhinde gets bail in Mumbai hoarding collapse case that killed 17
Mumbai (PTI): A Mumbai court has granted bail to advertising firm director Bhavesh Bhinde, the prime accused in the case of a hoarding collapse in Ghatkopar area here that claimed 17 lives in May this year.
Additional Sessions Judge V M Pathade allowed Bhinde's bail plea on Saturday.
Bhinde, through his lawyer Sana Khan, had contended the unfortunate incident was an "act of God", and that he was implicated for "political vendetta".
The hoarding installed in Ghatkopar area collapsed due to "unexpected, unusual wind speed" and no fault can be attributed to the applicant (whose firm had installed it), advocate Khan argued.
It was also submitted that Bhinde was not the firm's director at the time of installation of the gigantic hoarding.
Bhinde has been booked on the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The prosecution opposed bail to Bhinde, saying there was enough evidence to show he was actively involved in the case.
Seventeen persons, including a former general manager of the Mumbai airport's Air Traffic Control and his wife, died after the billboard crashed onto a petrol pump on May 13 during sudden dusty winds and unseasonal rains.
It was alleged that the hoarding had been put up illegally on railway land.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
