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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

HC orders fresh elections in three months

Dr. Rumi F. Beramji Mumbai: In a jolt, the Bombay High Court has directed the state government to hold elections to the Maharashtra Council of Acupuncture (MCA) - which is managed by an Administrator for past three years – within three months, here on Friday. A division bench of the Bombay High Court (Aurangabad Bench) comprising Justice Ajit Kadethankar and Justice Vibha Kankanwadi were disposing off a petition filed a senior medical practitioner, Dr. Laxman Bhimrao Sawant through his...

HC orders fresh elections in three months

Dr. Rumi F. Beramji Mumbai : In a jolt, the Bombay High Court has directed the state government to hold elections to the Maharashtra Council of Acupuncture (MCA) - which is managed by an Administrator for past three years – within three months, here on Friday.   A division bench of the Bombay High Court (Aurangabad Bench) comprising Justice Ajit Kadethankar and Justice Vibha Kankanwadi were disposing off a petition filed a senior medical practitioner, Dr. Laxman Bhimrao Sawant through his lawyer Sharad V. Natu, seeking different reliefs.   These included alleged serious irregularities in the functioning of the MCA and challenging the continuation of the Administrator for a prolonged period pending the elections. The matter was highlighted in detail by  ‘ The Perfect Voice’   on April 21.   Strong Observations In its order uploaded today, Justice Kadethankar and Justice Kankanwadi noted the petitioner’s contentions that the Administrator, Dr. Rumi F. Beramji was appointed for only one year, and that period is over.   “It should be the endeavour of the State to implement the various provisions of the Act, that is, the Maharashtra Acupuncture System of Therapy Act, 2015. Holding of elections and formation of the council as per Section 3 of the said Act should be adhered to by the State Government and it cannot be then postponed in infinity,” said the court.   Accordingly, Justice Kadethankar and Justice Kankanwadi directed the state government, through the Medical Education & Drugs Department (MEDD) to conduct the MCA elections within a period of three months.   Prolonged Tenure Among other things, the petitioner had termed the appointment and prolonged tenure of former MCA Chairman Dr. Rumi F. Beramji as “illegal and arbitrary,” and detrimental to the cause of Acupuncture.   Elected as the inaugural head (May 2018-May 2023) of the five-member statutory body, Dr. Beramji, was subsequently appointed its Administrator after the MCA’s term expired.   Adv. Natu pointed out that the Administrator’s appointment was intended to be a stop-gap arrangement for one year to facilitate the polls, but it was subsequently ‘extended’. However, nearly three years later, Dr. Beramji continued without fresh elections being conducted, raising questions over adherence to statutory norms and principles of governance.   Directionless Members Dr. Sawant 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.   He argued that the excuse cited for delay in conducting elections was ostensibly an incomplete voter list, but this reason was flimsy considering the extended time lapse.   The petition, which was heard and disposed of on April 22, also levelled serious allegations against the style of functioning of the MCA Administrator, decisions were taken unilaterally, whimsically and without transparency or institutional accountability.   Selective Targeting It also made accusations of ‘selective targeting’ of certain prominent members who attempted to raise valid issues, including the globally-renowned noted acupuncture expert Dr. P. B. Lohiya of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.   Other members raised doubts over approvals granted to more than a dozen acupuncture colleges and some two dozen Continuous Acupuncture Education (CAE) centres in undue haste, purportedly in violation of prescribed norms and alleged shady deals. Many of these institutions, it was claimed, either exist only on paper or lack essential infrastructure, faculty and facilities.   The petitioner called for a comprehensive review of the Administrator’s tenure, a financial audit of the MCA's affairs, and an independent probe by the MEDD into the approvals granted to the institutions in recent years.   Dr. Sawant had sought quashing Dr. Beramji’s appointment as MCA Administrator and setting aside all policy decisions taken during his tenure in the last three years, and ordering the government to hold elections to the body.

Police & Pandits: Biggest Beneficiaries of Devotion

Updated: Jan 29, 2025

Corruption is rampant at Kalighat Mandir under CM Mamata Banerjee's nose

Kalighat Mandir

Kolkata: The Uber ride from my hotel to Kalighat Mandir was only fifteen minutes, but it felt like a journey into another world. A cold and crisp Tuesday morning in Kolkata, known as the City of Joy, set the stage for my reluctant pilgrimage to one of Hinduism’s holiest shrines. Reluctant because, as someone who believes you don’t need to stand in line to meet God, I’ve never been much of a temple-goer. But family insistence has a way of bending even the firmest resolve, and so I found myself en route to the famed temple of Goddess Kali.


Kalighat’s significance in Hindu mythology is immense. Believed to be the site where Maa Sati’s right toe fell, it is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas, sacred abodes of the goddess. Yet, the sanctity of the temple often feels at odds with the chaos surrounding it. The hotel receptionist had warned me: Tuesdays draw larger crowds, as the day is considered auspicious for Maa Kali. I braced myself for long queues, pushy devotees, and the unpredictable chaos that defines India’s spiritual epicentres.


The temple’s entrance was just as expected, teeming with energy and opportunists. Before I could even locate the gate, an elderly man in a traditional kurta and dhoti appeared at my side. His demeanour was calm but calculated, his movements choreographed for maximum effect. “The gate is there,” he pointed, steering me toward one of the many pooja stalls lining the entrance.


Within moments, I was engulfed by men preparing a pooja thali before I could even process what was happening. Hibiscus garlands, a coconut, incense sticks and bangles were swiftly piled into a bamboo basket while chants in Sanskrit were murmured over my head. Prices were declared in quick succession as though I were at an auction rather than a temple.


My self-appointed guide led me to the main entrance. “VIP entry?” he asked with casual authority. I hesitated but handed him Rs. 200 - the price of convenience. Inside, two lines diverged: one, a snaking queue of ‘ordinary’ devotees under the sun; the other, a shorter line dominated by Pandits, exuding an air of hierarchy.


At the inner sanctum, a separate system operated. Two men collected money on either side of the deity, while the main priest handled offerings. The cramped space was packed with devotees in a single line. “Sister, give only Rs. 20, not more,” my Pandit advised. “If you give Rs. 100, they’ll demand even more outside.”


The idol of Maa Kali was a stunning, terrifying figure - her blackened face adorned with gold and silver, her four arms poised with weapons and gestures of blessing. The priest stationed before her barked at devotees, his temper short and his hands quick to push overzealous worshippers back into line. When a group of rural women, wide-eyed and eager, tried to touch the idol’s feet, they were scolded and physically pushed away. The irony was stark: here stood the goddess of empowerment and strength, worshipped in a space that thrived on intimidation and control.


As I exited the sanctum, my Pandit guide ushered me toward a coconut-breaking shrine. Another man waited there, collecting Rs. 500 notes from devotees who sought to add this ritual to their spiritual checklist. I negotiated down to Rs. 100 and cracked the coconut, watching as the pieces were whisked away, ostensibly to be distributed as prasad. “Didi, idhar sab paise se chalta hai,” the Pandit muttered matter-of-factly. Everything here, it seemed, came at a price: access, blessings, even the right to break a coconut.


Back at the pooja stall, I was handed a bill of Rs. 1700. “Round it up to Rs. 2100,” the Pandit suggested, offering to arrange a Bhandara in my name. He even presented a QR code for online payment. Faith, it seems, has embraced fintech.


As I waited for my Uber, an elderly woman persistently pleaded for money, and I reluctantly gave her Rs. 100 - yet another addition to the temple’s bustling economy. In just 30 minutes, I had spent Rs. 2730 for a fleeting glimpse of divinity.


Situated in the heart of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s constituency, Kalighat Mandir presents a stark paradox: women jostled within its sacred walls and left begging beyond its gates.


As my Uber pulled away, I couldn’t help but marvel at the audacious commercialization of faith in a space meant to transcend worldly concerns. “Jai Maa Kali,” I muttered under my breath, the irony unmistakable.

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