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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 8:56:24 pm

Man gets death for minor’s rape, murder

Mumbai | Nashik: A Nashik Special Fast Track Court has awarded the death sentence to a 25-year old man who was convicted last week for luring a 4-year-old girl with a chocolate, kidnapping, raping and murdering her, here on Friday. Terming the case as the ‘rarest of rare’ crimes, the Special Judge K. D. Paldewar – who had found Vijay Sanjay Khairnar guilty of kidnap, sexual assault and murdering the child on Sep. 30 but reserved the verdict after the final arguments on Oct. 7 – pronounced the...

Man gets death for minor’s rape, murder

Mumbai | Nashik: A Nashik Special Fast Track Court has awarded the death sentence to a 25-year old man who was convicted last week for luring a 4-year-old girl with a chocolate, kidnapping, raping and murdering her, here on Friday. Terming the case as the ‘rarest of rare’ crimes, the Special Judge K. D. Paldewar – who had found Vijay Sanjay Khairnar guilty of kidnap, sexual assault and murdering the child on Sep. 30 but reserved the verdict after the final arguments on Oct. 7 – pronounced the capital punishment today. He also slapped a fine of Rs 10 lakhs as compensation to the victim’s family, hailing from Dongrale village before a packed courtroom where the villagers, the victim’s family and others were present. Emerging from the courtroom after the verdict, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told the media that “the Court had considered the gravity of the crime and the circumstantial evidence establishing Khairnar’s involvement” while deciding the sentence. The Court did not take into account the convict’s poverty – he was a daily wager – or illiteracy as grounds for leniency, added the ace criminal lawyer. It was on Nov. 16, 2025 in Dongrale village of Malegaon taluka when Khairnar lured the little girl on the promise of giving her a chocolate and took her to a desolate spot to carry out his devious plans. Betraying the trust of the child who used to call him ‘dada’ (elder brother) due to their acquaintance, Khairnar sexually assaulted her, killed her and abandoned her before decamping from there. A few hours later, the child’s body was found dumped in a nullah and the police were summoned. As details of the gruesome crime tumbled out and spread, it ignited widespread public outrage all over the state. The police swung into action, formed several probe teams and managed to track down Khairnar from his hideout within a few hours. Considering the sensitivity of the crime, the strong emotions plus the mass furore it created, the state government assigned the case to a fast-track court, assigned Nikam as the SPP and the matter was heard speedily. The SPP aggressively led the prosecution, arguing in the court that in view of the gravity of the crime, the circumstances leading to it and other aspects, it warranted the severest punishment – death – for Khairnar, irrespective of his age or financial status. The Dongrale villagers stood in solidarity with the victim’s family and they raised a chorus for quick investigations, an expeditious trial and slapping the death penalty on the convict to serve as a strong deterrent to potential offenders. As per the Indian law, the trial court’s verdict will now go to the Bombay High Court for confirmation. Political leaders from different parties hailed the court verdict and said “justice has finally been done to the victim’s family”.

Thackeray cousins unite after 20 years

Quaid Najmi
Dec 23, 2025
3 min read

Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS to announce tie-up today

Mumbai: In a significant development ending six months of speculation and weeks of negotiations, the Thackeray cousins - Uddhav and Raj - are all set to announce their first formal electoral alliance on Wednesday noon, ahead of the upcoming civic elections across Maharashtra.

 

The Shiv Sena (UBT), led by former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), headed by Raj Thackeray, are expected to formally declare a seat-sharing arrangement for key civic corporations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and elsewhere.

 

These include the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Thane, Mira-Bhayander, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli (all in MMR), plus Pune and Nashik.

 

“Tomorrow… 12 noon,” Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut posted a date with the media, sharing a photograph of the Thackeray cousins. Later, he later reiterated the same to media-persons.

 

Dismissing political guesswork, Raut said the seat-sharing talks between the two parties progressed smoothly and were finalised amicably over the past few days.

 

Among the 29 civic corporations slated to go to the polls next month, the BMC - India’s richest municipal body running the country’s financial capital - is the most coveted trophy.

 

The undivided Shiv Sena had controlled the BMC for 25 consecutive years, making it a key political prize, eyed by the Thackeray cousins and other major contenders.

 

At loggerheads for nearly two decades following a bitter political split, Uddhav and Raj were thrown together earlier this year for the common cause of ‘Marathi manoos’.

 

In July, the Maharashtra government issued two government resolutions (GRs) under the National Education Policy’s three-language formula, proposing Hindi as a compulsory third language in Marathi and English medium primary schools (Classes I to V).

 

A combined agitation led by the Thackeray cousins - with support from the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party(SP) and others - forced the state government to yank off the proposal.

 

However, the growing proximity between Uddhav and Raj caused discomfort within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies.

 

The Congress, citing the MNS’ aggressive anti-migrant rhetoric, opposed its induction into the MVA. Failing to block the MNS, last month the Congress decided to go solo in the BMC elections, but kept the door open for tie-ups in other civic bodies.

 

Congress out, NCP (SP) mum

The state Congress has reiterated that it will contest the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections independently, while hammering out an alliance with the Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA).

 

“We have made it clear that the Congress will go alone in Mumbai, and that position remains unchanged,” said Maharashtra Congress senior spokesperson Sachin Sawant.

 

The Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (SP), however, has yet to spell out its stand on whether it will align with the Congress or side with the Thackeray cousins in the Mumbai civic polls.

 

Amid speculation over a possible rapprochement between the NCP (SP) and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP - reportedly to be formally announced this weekend – SS (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut launched a sharp attack on Ajit Pawar, questioning his status in the ruling MahaYuti alliance.

 

“Ajit Pawar’s real leaders are BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis, Amit Shah and Narendra Modi. If he is contemplating an alliance with the NCP (SP), then he has no moral right to remain in the MahaYuti government,” Raut said.

 

He further warned that any understanding between the two NCP factions in Pune would have repercussions for opposition unity. “If the NCP (SP) and NCP come together in Pune, then we will not align with Sharad Pawar’s party there,” Raut asserted.


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