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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 Beramji was installed as Administrator, the remaining members of the council were effectively superseded, leaving the regulatory body without its mandated collective structure, and over 6500-members directionless.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.

Unfinished Business

For over three decades, Memon has been a ghost, his name inextricably tied to the 1993 Bombay bombings, one of India’s deadliest terrorist attacks. On March 12 of that year, a series of coordinated blasts ripped through Mumbai, killing 257 people and injuring more than 700. The plot, masterminded by fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim with the backing of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), relied heavily on Memon’s smuggling network to bring RDX, hand grenades, and ammunition into India. Memon was not merely an accomplice but an architect of the carnage.


Last week, a special court in Mumbai ordered the transfer of 14 properties linked to Memon and his family to the central government under the Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act (SAFEMA), 1976. These included those in Mahim’s Al Hussaini building, where Memon resided before fleeing Mumbai, along with assets in Kurla, Dongri and South Mumbai. This belated assertion of state authority does not address the more pressing concern: where is Tiger Memon?


For over three decades, Memon has been a ghost, his name forever linked to one of India’s deadliest terrorist attacks. While India has spent years securing the extradition of terrorists like Tahawwur Rana, a key accused in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Memon remains at large. The United States Supreme Court recently cleared the path for Rana’s extradition to India, rejecting his appeal to block it. While this is a major diplomatic and legal success, the glaring absence of similar progress in Memon’s case is difficult to ignore. The government has pursued legal battles over his properties, but its efforts to bring him to justice appear far less determined.


Unlike Dawood Ibrahim, who built an international criminal empire, Memon’s notoriety is tied almost exclusively to the 1993 bombings. His capture would not just be symbolic but send a strong message that India’s fight against terrorism does not wane with time. But the challenge, as always, is geopolitical. Memon, like Ibrahim, is widely believed to be in Pakistan. Islamabad, as expected, denies his presence, a claim no intelligence agency takes seriously. Yet India has failed to apply sustained diplomatic and legal pressure to force Pakistan’s hand.


New Delhi’s rising global influence provides an opportunity to change this. The United States has aligned itself with India’s concerns over Pakistan’s role in sheltering terrorists, and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has pressured Islamabad to crack down on terror networks. India must use this leverage effectively. If it can track Rana across borders and legal loopholes, there is no reason Memon cannot be pursued with equal resolve.


Justice cannot be dictated by convenience. India has shown the patience and persistence to chase terrorists decades after their crimes. But justice remains incomplete as long as the masterminds of its worst attacks remain free. The battle for Rana’s extradition was hard-fought and well-won. The war, however, will only end when men like Tiger Memon are finally brought to justice.

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