Pawar restrained from discharging MCA president duties

Sharad Pawar, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president, has been restrained from discharging his duties by a Mumbai court. Pawar, who is also the union minister for agriculture, was granted a week's time to appeal the decision in a higher court.

The Mumbai city civil court's order came after a suit was filed by senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Gopinath Munde, who had been prevented from contesting the MCA elections on the technicality that he was not a permanent resident of Mumbai. Though Munde owned property in Mumbai, he is on the electoral rolls in the Beed district of Maharashtra.

Munde's lawyer argued that former union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh had faced a similar issue in 2011 but was allowed to contest the MCA elections.

After Munde was not allowed to stand for election, Pawar was the only candidate and he was elected unopposed on October 18.