NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Mumbai, Jul 24 (PTI) Following are the top stories from the Western Region at 1700 HRS.






BOM9 MH-TRAIN BLASTS-SC ORDER-REAX
* Mumbai train blasts: Somaiya hails SC stay on high court verdict, seeks death rap for accused



Mumbai: BJP leader Kirit Somaiya on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court's stay on the Bombay High Court verdict acquitting all 12 accused in the 2006 Mumbai train bomb blasts case, and said all the accused should be hanged to death. *








BOM10 MH-KOKATE-AJIT PAWAR
* Call on action against minister Kokate after meeting him, consulting CM: Ajit Pawar


Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday said a decision on action against his cabinet colleague Manikrao Kokate, facing criticism on 'rummy' row and 'beggar' remarks, will be taken after meeting him next week and consulting CM Devendra Fadnavis. *


BOM6 MH-HC-IDOLS
* HC orders immersion of all idols up to 6 ft height in artificial tanks starting Ganesh festival


Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Thursday ordered immersion of all idols of up to six feet height in artificial tanks starting from the 10-day Ganesh festival being celebrated from August 27 this year. *









BES7 MH-KOKATE-VIDEO-INQUIRY
* Legislature secretariat conducting inquiry into Kokate ‘rummy’ video episode


Mumbai: The Maharashtra legislature secretariat is conducting an internal probe into a viral video purportedly showing Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate playing 'rummy' on his mobile phone in the legislative council, sources said on Thursday. *








BOM4 MH-KETAMINE-SEIZURE
* Ketamine valued at Rs 88.92 crore seized in Raigad, four arrested


Mumbai: The police have seized Ketamine valued at Rs 88.92 crore from a factory in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, and arrested four persons allegedly involved in its production, an official said on Thursday. *









BOM3 MP-COURT-MURDER-DEATH SENTENCE
* MP man gets death sentence for killing mother to pocket her Rs 32 lakh FD




Sheopur (MP): A trial court in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur has sentenced a 26-year-old man to death for murdering a woman who had adopted him as her son and concealing the body in a wall to usurp her fixed deposit of Rs 32 lakh. *






BOM13 GA-ASSEMBLY-TOURISM-INFLUENCERS

* Goa tourism going strong, says Khaunte; slams social media influencers for 'false narratives'

Panaji: Social media influencers are taking money to create false narratives about decline in tourist arrivals in Goa but are unable to counter when official data is presented to them about the state's "strong upward trajectory", minister Rohan Khaunte said in the assembly on Thursday. *



LGB1 MH-COURT-TEACHER-BAIL

* Court cites 'consensual relationship' while granting bail to teacher held for sexual assault on boy


Mumbai: A special court here, while granting bail to a 40-year-old woman school teacher held for allegedly repeatedly sexually assaulting a minor male student, has said the relationship between the duo was "consensual". *




BOM8 CG-ACCIDENT
* Two teachers killed, 10 injured as van collides with truck in Chhattisgarh’s Korba

Korba: Two women teachers were killed and ten other persons injured after a van in which they were travelling collided with a trailer truck in Chhattisgarh’s Korba district on Thursday, police said. *

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)