Police Deny Permission For Sunday’s Anti-Dhoble Youth Rally

• Protest Plans. On the same day that a special court allowed for nine of the 11 women arrested during the raid on Andheri restaurant Masala Curry, including the two who sued ACP Vasant Dhoble, to be released from the Chembur remand home, the Mumbai Police denied permission for a youth rally planned this Sunday, June 24, on Carter Road to protest against the crackdown on the city’s nightlife. However, the organisers have said they will go ahead with a smaller protest, between 5pm and 7pm, “maybe at the nearby amphitheatre if not Carter Road promenade itself”. Meanwhile, a Pune-based businessman has filed a petition with the National Human Rights Commission seeking redressal of the “gross violation of the legal, constitutional and fundamental human rights” of patrons of restaurants and pubs; and Mumbai-based store owner Viren Shah, whose banner demanding “freedom” for party-goers was torn down by the BMC, has filed an RTI application seeking information on the civic body’s actions against illegal hoardings. [The Times of India]

• Tennis Menace. After potential partners Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna refused to team up with him, Leander Paes has threatened to withdraw from the London Olympics if he is paired with a lower-ranked player. “It would not be acceptable, if with my ranking as the best Indian tennis player, I give up the best option of partner for winning a medal for my country and am made to play the Olympics with a player ranked 207/306 in the world while the No.13 and No. 15 ranked players form another team together based on their refusal to play with me,” he wrote in a letter to the All India Tennis Association. [Hindustan Times]

• Water Cuts. Even though the civic body is yet to make an official announcement, the BMC’s water department has planned water cuts across the city if the dry spell continues. The move follows the delayed arrival of the monsoon, which has led to a dip in the usable water available in Mumbai’s six lakes. [Hindustan Times]