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23 August 2024 at 9:59:04 pm

Legal Weapon

The death of Sahil Wakode at IIT Bombay is undoubtedly a tragic incident. It also raises a difficult question that should not be lost amid the understandable anger on campus: when does a genuine allegation of caste discrimination become a criminal charge, and what happens when the extraordinary force of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is invoked before the facts have been established? Wakode, a second-year student, died by suicide last week, hours after he was caught using a mobile...

Legal Weapon

The death of Sahil Wakode at IIT Bombay is undoubtedly a tragic incident. It also raises a difficult question that should not be lost amid the understandable anger on campus: when does a genuine allegation of caste discrimination become a criminal charge, and what happens when the extraordinary force of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is invoked before the facts have been established? Wakode, a second-year student, died by suicide last week, hours after he was caught using a mobile phone during an examination. IIT Bombay says he had uploaded the question paper to ChatGPT, but that no disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against him. He was counselled and assured that the incident would not damage his academic career. His parents have subsequently alleged that Wakode had been subjected to caste-based harassment for several months and named Professor Suryanarayana Doolla in an FIR alleging abetment to suicide, along with provisions of the SC/ST Act. The institute has denied that any complaint of caste discrimination was made by Wakode during his tenure. Its SC/ST cell has also said it received no such complaint. The investigation has now been transferred to the Crime Branch. The SC/ST Act exists because caste oppression is real, and victims require a law capable of confronting it. But precisely because the law is stringent, its invocation cannot become a substitute for evidence. The Supreme Court has repeatedly emphasised that the statutory ingredients of an offence must actually be made out. The court has also held that where a complaint does not prima facie disclose an offence under the Act, its stringent restrictions on pre-arrest bail do not automatically apply. Teachers must be able to enforce examination rules without fearing that every disciplinary confrontation could acquire a caste dimension. The tendency to turn a student’s caste into the explanation for every institutional conflict involving an SC/ST student is disturbing and must be resisted. If every disciplinary action involving a reserved-category student is presumed to be caste discrimination, the distinction between discrimination and ordinary institutional accountability begins to disappear. Equally, an institute cannot hide behind procedure if evidence eventually establishes discrimination or harassment. If Professor Doolla did indeed use casteist language, threatened Wakode or treated him differently because of his caste, those allegations must be investigated fully and dealt with under the law. But the answer cannot be to criminalise the invigilator first and investigate later. IIT Bombay now has two obligations: establish, without prejudice, what happened in those crucial hours and examine the broader pressures facing its students. The police must establish whether the allegations under the SC/ST Act have factual and legal substance. The institute must ensure that teachers can enforce academic integrity while students have credible avenues to report genuine discrimination. The tragedy demands accountability. It does not demand a predetermined culprit.

Mumbai’s Mega Infrastructure Leap

Pearl Noronha
Mar 31, 2025
3 min read

Updated: Apr 1, 2025

From faster commutes to massive ports, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently revealed his ambitious plans for a future-ready infrastructure revolution.

Mumbai’s Mega Infrastructure Leap

Mumbai: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has outlined key projects aimed at Mumbai’s development and highlighted major infrastructure initiatives across Maharashtra. He recently spoke of his mind during a public interview.


According to him, work on the Bandra to Versova Sea Link is already in progress. Additionally, a Versova to Madh Sea Link is planned, which will further extend to Virar, along with another sea link connecting Versova to Bhayander. He explained that 60 per cent of Mumbai's traffic is concentrated on the western side, and these projects aim to ease congestion on the Western Express Highway.


According to him, the travel time from Mumbai city to Virar by road during peak hours can take anywhere between two and a half to four hours. However, with these proposed projects, the journey time is expected to be reduced to about 45 to 50 minutes.


That's not all— Fadnavis also has plans for a corridor from Virar to Alibaug, along with a circular road connecting Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).


Potential of Vadhan

Fadnavis has highlighted the potential of proposed port at Vadhvan in Palghar district to elevate Maharashtra’s and India’s maritime capabilities, positioning it as a key driver of economic growth.


Mumbai's business and industrial appeal is largely driven by the Jawaharlal Nehru Port, which currently handles 65 per cent of the city’s container traffic. Fadnavis noted that the proposed Vadhvan Port will be three times larger. Strategically located 10 km offshore from Vadhvan Point, it boasts a natural depth of 20 metres or 66 ft, enabling it to accommodate large vessels, including Ultra Large Container Ships (ULCS).


Fourth Mumbai

Fadnavis shared that he had proposed an airport in this area to the Prime Minister, who approved the plan. The region will also feature a bullet train and is three times the size of Mumbai, envisioned as the "fourth Mumbai".

Meanwhile, the "third Mumbai" is being developed near Atul Setu as a major industrial and technological hub. This area will house 65 per cent of the state’s data centre capacity, with scope for future expansion.


Discussing future plans, the CM detailed key infrastructure projects, including road construction and the Shaktipeeth or Goa-Nagpur highway, which he said would transform Maharashtra. He also spoke about the river linkage project, which aims to connect the Wainganga and Nalganga rivers, creating a new 550-kilometre waterway to make seven districts in the Vidarbha region drought-free.


River linkage

The CM Fadnavis also shared plans to divert 54 TMC (thousand cubic feet) of water, which currently flows into the sea, to the Godavari River through a river linkage project. While 49% of Maharashtra relies on the Godavari, it remains a deficit basin. However, this initiative aims to make Northern Maharashtra and Marathwada drought-free.


While these are some of the key projects highlighted by Fadnavis, he also mentioned other initiatives in the pipeline, including new airports in Pune and Nagpur. Additionally, there are plans to transform Mumbai Airport into a brownfield project.


He concluded by stating that whether it is building a port, road, airport, or housing project, the government has undertaken the country’s largest target under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana—20 lakh houses. Of these, 10 lakh have already been allocated, with an additional five lakh to be distributed soon. Initiating the construction of 20 lakh houses in a single year marks a historic record for India.


Maharashtra's ambitious infrastructure push aims to ease congestion, boost trade, and enhance water security. It is a welcome and long-overdue solution to the state’s growing needs.

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