NIRAV, CHOKSI PLEAS TURNED DOWN BY COURT

MUMBAI: A special court on

Friday refused to entertain applications filed by absconding diamantaires Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi against the Enforcement Directorate’s plea to declare them as fugitive economic offenders. These applications included a plea to stay the proceedings, seeking action against officers for suppression of facts and challenging the maintainability of the proceedings initiated on ED’S plea. Choksi also pleaded for his statement to be recorded on video conferencing as he cannot return to India owing to health problems.

3 die in bike accident on Mum-ahmedabad Highway

MUMBAI : Three men, all aged 20 and riding on the same bike, died on Thursday after the rider lost control on the Mumbai-ahmedabad National Highway and crashed into a divider. Police said the victims — Karan Bhaati, Pravin Parmar and Kewal Machchi — were returning home to Bhayander after having dinner at a hotel near Ghodbunder. The post-mortem report is yet to come out, police said.

Former chief secretary Arun Bongirwar dies at 76

MUMBAI: Former IAS officer Arun Bongirwar passed away on Friday. Bongirwar, 76, had served as the 25th chief secretary of the state between May 1999 and January 2001. Being chief secretary, he got the rare opportunity of serving two successive governments headed by different political parties —Shiv SENA-BJP and later Congress-ncp. Bongirwar is survived by two daughters and a son.

On-duty TMC official attacked by a local

THANE: A Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) official, who was out monitoring the use of banned plastic, was attacked by a local on Friday at Shahi Mahal road in Mumbra. The civic official, who suffered minor injuries, has registered a case against with Mumbra police.