SAI

Eknath Shinde said in a message to the new CJI, "Maharashtra's son, Justice Lalit's tenure will increase the faith and glory of the Indian judiciary." President Draupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Justice Lalit, who took over as the 49th CJI in Delhi on Saturday. Hailing from the small Lalit clan of Maharashtra, Justice Lalit was born in Solapur and earned his law degree from the prestigious Government Law College in Mumbai, which is among the oldest in Asia, established in 1855.

The Shinde Group legislators lampooned Shiv Sena leader and ex-minister Aditya Thackeray, displaying posters on which he is shown astride a horse facing the opposite direction, outside the Vidhan Bhavan building. The banners carried slogans like �Yuvrajanchi Disha Chukli' (the prince missed the route), and Maharashtra's �pa pu' or �param pujya' and calling him the �Prince pappu of Maharashtra, as the Shinde Group MLAs raised slogans to counter MVA legislators.

Seething at the ongoing tirade by MVA labelling the Shinde Group as 'gaddars' (traitors) and '50 khoke' (Rs 50 crore), Shinde Group legislators retaliated in full force, sparking outrage in political circles. A few MLAs of Shinde Group accosted the MVA legislators who were raising slogans against the government for the fourth day since the Legislature started its monsoon session last week, resulting in shoving among the two sides.

The bench will decide about the symbol related to the Election Commission proceeding...," said the bench. It also asked the Election Commission not to take a final call on Eknath Shinde's faction claim as the official Shiv Sena party till Thursday (August 25). Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Uddhav Thackeray faction, asked the top court to restrain the Election Commission from deciding Shinde's claim.

Driven out of Jambori Maidan this year, now the Sena plans to hold its revelries at Worli Naka -- with an undeclared competition on who will make it a bigger affair -- likely to be witnessed Friday. Former Nationalist Congress Party leader Sachin Ahir, who joined the Shiv Sena in 2019, used to regularly organise the dahi-handi at Jambori Maidan, which was ranked among the biggest events during the festival in Mumbai.

A majority of the Opposition leaders and legislators staged a vociferous protest on the steps of the Vidhan Bhavan, carrying posters and placards, condemning and criticising the government at the start of its maiden legislature test. As soon as the CM and other Shinde Group MLAs started trooping in, the Opposition legislators greeted them with full-throated rants of - "50 khoke (Rs 50-crore), Ekdum Ok" and "Aala Re, Aala Re, Gaddaar Aala (Here comes the traitor)".

The two law-makers are: Prakash Surve from Magathane (Mumbai) and Santosh Bangar from Kalamnuri (Hingoli), whose fury in words and deeds have gone viral on social media evoking sharp reactions. An aghast Nationalist Congress Party's Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar sarcastically asked why the regime -- whose fate is still pending in Supreme Court -- displays so much 'masti'.

Shinde will handle Urban Development, IT, GAD, PWD (Public Projects), Transport and other departments, as per an official announcement. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has been given the crucial Home, Finance and Planning, Law and Justice, Water Resources, Energy, Housing and other portfolios.

Thackeray faction leader and chief whip Ajay Chaudhari had written to Speaker Rahul Narvekar seeking representation to the BAC, but it was rejected. However, now two ministers from the faction headed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde have been included in the BAC -- Dada Bhuse and Uday Samant. The BAC presided over by Shinde and attended by group leaders of all parties on Thursday decided to extend the Monsoon Session by two days and now it will be held from August 17-25.

According to a study conducted by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), a total of 15 ministers have declared criminal cases, including seven from the Shinde Group Shiv Sena and eight from the BJP, in the 'gents only cabinet'. Of these, 65 per cent -- or 13 ministers -- including seven from Shinde Group and six from the BJP have serious criminal cases filed against them.