Crime
Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court: Possession of dead cow, bull skin not an offence
Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court, on Wednesday, repealed an FIR against Shafiqullaha Khan for possessing skin of dead cows and stated that it was no offence under any law to possess skin of a dead cow.
A bench of justices, including VM Deshpande and AS Kilor passed an order of December 14, which stated that under the 1976 Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act (MAPA), possession of dead cow/bull or bullocks skin won’t be an offence.
The bench said the same while hearing Khan’s plea, who was booked under MAPAs Section 5A, 5B and 5C (prohibition on transportation of cow, bull or bullock within the state/ outside the state/ possession of their flesh) in July 2018 for possessing 187 skins of dead cows.
The accused wasn’t transporting or exporting cow, bull or bullocks. There are no allegations of animal slaughter against him, neither did he purchased or sold dispose of cow, bull or bullocks. Legally, no criminal proceedings can be constituted against Khan, said the bench.
The order further read that possession of dead animals skin was not covered under the provisions of MAPA thus there was no prohibition to possess skin of dead cow/bull/bullock.
Provisions, under which Khan was booked, are for sale/purchase of cow, bull or bullock for slaughter and possession of their flesh. There are no such allegations against him, hes free to go, said the court while freeing Khan of all charges.
COVID-19
Thane Municipal Corporation adds 25 beds as COVID cases rise
Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) added 25 additional beds in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital Kalwa apart from arranging a special ward dedicated to COVID-19 patients. The total number of active patients in the city stood at 252 while five succumbed to the virus. Meanwhile, TMC Commissioner Abhijit Bangar said a ‘death audit’ of patients who died of COVID would be conducted. The TMC has ensured it has additional stock of oxygen concentrators, testing kits, medicines, to name a few. Bangar told HT, “Due to the increasing number of Covid patients, it is necessary for everyone to be alert.”
He added, The number of Covid tests should be increased to stay one step ahead of the disease. As a result, the number of patients is likely to increase due to increased testing. However, as per the ‘test, isolate, treat’ protocol for Covid, it becomes necessary to isolate and treat more and more patients. The testing centres will not remain closed even for a single day. At the same time, more arrangements for testing will be made immediately in public places, markets, railway stations, malls.”
India recorded 3,095 new COVID cases and five deaths in last 24 hours.
Also read: Nagpur records 22 COVID cases in 24 hours
Politics
After Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification, his namesake who contested from Wayanad disqualified

Rahul Gandhi
An independent candidate for Lok Sabha elections named Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from contesting polls for failing to lodge account of election expenses. Gandhi, who’s name figures as ‘Rahul Gandhi K E S/o Valsamma’ in an Election Commission list of persons, had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as an Independent and had received 2196 votes from the Wayanad seat in Kerala – a constituency from where ex-Congress MP Rahul Rajiv Gandhi had won with over seven lakh votes.
However, since it is mandatory for all contestants to submit their account of election expenses among other mandatory requirements under EC rules and the Representation of the People Act.
Rahul Gandhi K E S/o Valsamma stood disqualified to contest polls from September 13, 2021 till September 13, 2024. According to Section 10A, the Election Commission can disqualify a contestant for a period of three years from the date of the order if he/she has failed to lodge an account of election expenses within the time and in the manner required by law and has no good reason or justification for the failure.
Also read: ‘CBI under UPA govt. pressurised me to frame Modi,’ recalls Amit Shah
Nagpur News
Nagpur records 22 COVID cases in 24 hours
A total of 22 patients tested positive for COVID-19 in Nagpur in past 24 hours on Thursday. Almost 242 people were tested in the city, out of which 15 belonged to urban area while and 6 were from the rural areas, and one from outside Nagpur district.
At present, there are 72 active patients in the city. Three new cases of the new XBB.1.16 variant of COVID-19 were detected that took the total tally to five in the district.
India recorded 3,095 new COVID cases and five deaths in last 24 hours.
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