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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Plea in HC for fresh polls, new body

Dr. Rumi F. Beramji Mumbai : A senior medical practitioner has knocked on the doors of the Bombay High Court, alleging serious irregularities in the functioning of the Maharashtra Council of Acupuncture (MCA) and challenging the continuation of its current Administrator.   In a petition filed through Advocate Sharad V. Natu, Dr. Laxman Bhimrao Sawant has termed the appointment and prolonged tenure of former MCA Chairman as “illegal and arbitrary,”  and detrimental to the cause of Acupuncture....

Plea in HC for fresh polls, new body

Dr. Rumi F. Beramji Mumbai : A senior medical practitioner has knocked on the doors of the Bombay High Court, alleging serious irregularities in the functioning of the Maharashtra Council of Acupuncture (MCA) and challenging the continuation of its current Administrator.   In a petition filed through Advocate Sharad V. Natu, Dr. Laxman Bhimrao Sawant has termed the appointment and prolonged tenure of former MCA Chairman as “illegal and arbitrary,”  and detrimental to the cause of Acupuncture.   Dr. Beramji, who headed the five-member statutory body 's inaugural term (from May 2018 to May 2023), was subsequently appointed as its Administrator after the council’s term expired.   According to Dr. Sawant’s plea, the Administrator’s appointment was initially meant to be a stop-gap arrangement for one year, and it was ‘extended’ later. However, nearly three years later, the position continues without fresh elections being conducted, raising questions over adherence to statutory norms and principles of governance.   Dr. Sawant has further contended that while Dr. Beramji was installed as Administrator, the remaining members of the council were effectively superseded, leaving the regulatory body without its mandated collective structure, and over 6500-members directionless.   The petition claims that the delay in conducting elections was justified on the grounds of an incomplete voter list, but this reason was flimsy considering the extended time lapse.   The petition, likely to come up for hearing on Tuesday (April 21), also levelled serious allegations regarding the manner in which the MCA has been run under the Administrator. It claims decisions have been taken unilaterally, whimsically and without transparency or institutional accountability.   Besides, Dr. Sawant has made allegations of selective targeting of certain members who have attempted to raise valid issues, including the globally-renowned noted acupuncture expert Dr. P. B. Lohiya of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.   Adding to the controversy, a former MCA office-bearer has claimed that over the past three years, approvals were granted to more than a dozen acupuncture colleges in undue haste, purportedly in violation of prescribed norms and alleged shady deals.   These institutions, it is claimed, either exist only on paper or lack essential infrastructure, faculty, and facilities. In addition, around two dozen Continuous Acupuncture Education (CAE) centres were also cleared during this period.   In his multiple prayers to the high court, Dr. Sawant has sought quashing Dr. Beramji’s appointment as MCA Administrator and setting aside all policy decisions taken during his tenure in that capacity in the last three years.   The petition also urged the court to direct the state government to conduct elections to elect and reconstitute a new five-member MCA within two months.   Pending this, the plea seeks an order restraining the Administrator from continuing in office or interfering in the functioning of the MCA or the CAEs in the interest of free and fair elections or the cause of Acupuncture.   Sources within the MCA have described the situation as “deeply concerning,” alleging that individuals of international standing, such as Dr. Lohiya - who has treated prominent personalities like Sachin Tendulkar, the late Manoj Kumar, state and central ministers and other public figures - are being unfairly hounded.   The petition has called for a comprehensive review of all decisions taken during the Administrator’s tenure, a financial audit of the MCA’s financial affairs, and an independent probe by the Medical Education & Drugs Department (MEDD) into the approvals granted to the institutions in recent years.   Despite repeated attempts by  ‘ The Perfect Voice’ , top MCA officials like the Administrator or the Registrar Narayan Nawale, were not available for their comments.

NIA may seek Tahawwur Rana’s voice sample to link him to 26/11 calls



The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which currently has Pakistani-Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana in its custody following his extradition, may seek to collect his voice sample to verify call records related to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.


By comparing the voice sample with recorded calls, authorities aim to confirm whether Rana was involved in phone conversations giving instructions during the November 2008 attacks that killed 166 people in Mumbai.


Rana’s consent is required for the collection of his voice sample. If he refuses, the NIA can approach the court for permission. In case of refusal, this fact will be included in the chargesheet, which could work against him during trial proceedings.


Once permission is secured, experts from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory will visit the NIA headquarters to collect the sample in a noise-free environment.


Since his extradition from the United States on Thursday, Rana has been kept and questioned at the high-security NIA headquarters located in the CGO Complex in New Delhi. During interrogation, officials are trying to uncover more about a man Rana met in Dubai before the Mumbai attacks and the unexplained non-renewal of a Mumbai office lease registered under Rana’s immigration agency. This office was reportedly used by 26/11 mastermind David Headley as cover while surveying targets, including prominent hotels and public places across Mumbai.


The NIA’s 18-day interrogation is also expected to explore the roles of Pakistani nationals Ilyas Kashmiri and Abdur Rehman in the attacks. Investigators may further question Rana about other key conspirators such as Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and Sajid Majeed Mir.


Rana has spoken to officials about his background in Pakistan, his family, education, immigration to Canada with his wife, and the launch of his immigration and travel agency in Chicago.


According to NIA sources, Rana was “largely uncooperative” on the first day of questioning and provided limited information.


Rana, who previously worked in the Pakistan Army Medical Corps, has told investigators that he cannot recall many details of the events but has confirmed being in Mumbai at least a week before the attacks.


Earlier, in 2010, David Headley, also known as Daood Gilani, was questioned by an NIA team in the US. He was convicted there for his role in the 26/11 attacks.

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