The curious case of former Merces Sarpanch Prakash Naik continues to baffle law-abiding citizens of Goa. Police continue to drag feet over taking custody of accused. Over a month after District and Sessions Court refused anticipatory bail to accused Wilson Godinho, brother of Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho, the High Court too on Thursday ruled against granting bail.
The police have played bluff and despite making a case for custodial interrogation before the court, have refused to take the accused in custody. What’s worse is that both courts found no merit in Wilson’s plea for anticipatory bail. It is a clear case of government machinery failing in its duties and allowing the fairness of probe to be compromised.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had promised the family a fair probe at the time of Prakash’s funeral. Is this probe fair, Chief Minister? A bad precedent is being set here. Is this the way law enforcement proceeds with accused in ordinary course? The chief minister who also holds the home ministry should rise above partisan influences when it comes to delivering justice to the common man. He has to deliver on his promise of a fair probe. Handing over the investigation to crime branch is only an eyewash because not an inch has moved in the investigation ever since the death hit the headlines.
The facts of the case are apparent. Prakash was found dead in a pool of blood after a gunshot at his residence on January 17, but not before sending a couple of messages on social media implicating Wilson Godinho and Tahir. On January 19, police booked an FIR under section Section 306 IPC (abetment of suicide). On January 23 the District and Sessions Court rejected an anticipatory bail plea. There are no signs of police action anywhere. The reach of the accused is well established, and by virtue of being a brother of Mauvin Godinho, Wilson is certainly in a position to influence law enforcement. Or else the police leadership must explain this clear lack of will.
There cannot be different yardsticks to investigate criminals and accused. The law has to be fair and square for all. The ordinary citizens of Goa who are watching this bizarre cover-up will lose trust in the system because justice is not done on merit of the case. There will be a complete lack of confidence in the reliability, integrity and effectiveness of the police.
This is not about Prakash or a family in Merces, which is seeking justice. It could be anyone from any part of Goa or India. It is frustrating for those who have to silently bear the pain while the police refuse to stand by the law. And it is an agonizingly helpless situation when police cannot find fault even when the court has. Politically-inclined police officers act as triggers for rebellion and which is why sometimes people take the law into their own hands. Partisan political players cannot be allowed to usurp power and cut the long arm of the law short. Manipulation of law enforcement should stop.
