Mumbai, Jan 6 (PTI) Following are the top stories from the Western Region at 1700 HRS.

BOM17 MP-HC-WATER CONTAMINATION

HC directs MP chief secretary to appear over Indore water contamination issue Indore: Hearing petitions over the deaths and illness caused by contaminated water supply in Indore's Bhagirathpura area, the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday directed the state chief secretary to appear before it through video conference on January 15.

BOM15 MH-LD KALMADI

Suresh Kalmadi, former Union minister and sports administrator, passes away Pune: Congress veteran and former Union minister Suresh Kalmadi, known for a multifaceted career that intertwined politics and sports administration, passed away in Pune early Tuesday following a prolonged illness at the age of 81, family sources said.

BOM13 MH-HC-CIVIC POLLS-NARWEKAR

Mumbai polls: 8 candidates move HC alleging nominations were rejected at Narwekar's behest Mumbai: Eight candidates moved the Bombay High Court on Tuesday alleging that their nomination forms for the Mumbai civic elections were not accepted by the returning officer at the behest of BJP MLA and Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar.

BOM16 MH-VILASRAO-2NDLD BJP

BJP leader apologises for remarks on Vilasrao after Riteish Deshmukh’s jibe Mumbai: Maharashtra BJP chief Ravindra Chavan on Tuesday apologised for his remarks on Vilasrao Deshmukh, after an emotional response from the former chief minister’s son and Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh.

BOM14 GJ-COURTS-BOMB THREATS

Gujarat HC, several district courts and govt offices get bomb threats; nothing suspicious found Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court, several district courts and some collector offices in the state received bomb threats through emails on Tuesday, prompting the authorities to conduct thorough searches, in which nothing suspicious was found anywhere, officials said.

BOM12 MH-CONGRESS-MUMBAI MAYOR

Maharashtra Cong chief junks polarising comments, says Mumbai mayor will be a 'Bharatiya' Nagpur: Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal on Tuesday said the next mayor of Mumbai would be "Bharatiya, Maharashtrian and a Mumbaikar", a veiled dig at Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over his “Hindu-Marathi” mayor remark for the financial capital.

LGB2 MH-HC-MCA POLLS

HC halts Maharashtra Cricket Association election; questions inclusion of 400 members Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has stayed elections to the apex council of the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) scheduled for Tuesday, questioning the way in which 400 new members, including relatives of incumbent president and NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, were inducted.

* BOM10 MH-CIVIC POLLS-BJP-SAVARKAR

BJP leader's 'respect Savarkar' remark roils ally NCP Mumbai: Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar on Tuesday suggested that the BJP expects its allies to respect Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, triggering a sharp reaction from the NCP, led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, which underlined its commitment to Ambedkarite ideology.

BOM8 MH-RANE-RETIREMENT

Narayan Rane denies retirement plans after stirring speculation at rally Mumbai: BJP MP and former Union minister Narayan Rane has dismissed speculation about his retirement, saying his remarks made at a public rally recently were misinterpreted and reaffirming his commitment to active politics.

* BOM11 MH-FOREX-FRAUD

Rs 200 crore international forex fraud racket busted; 7 held in Maharashtra Palghar: Police in Maharashtra have unearthed a massive international syndicate that defrauded hundreds of people of more than Rs 200 crore by luring them into online forex and gold trading schemes, officials said on Tuesday.

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