PANAJI
A high-level probe led by Superintendent of Police Bossuet D'Silva has kick-started into the startling practice prevalent across police stations wherein a coterie of lawyers connive to coerce accused in custody to engage them through 'friendly' police officers and 'fix' bail litigations.
The police as part of the probe has exchanged correspondence and has reportedly secured some leads from Vinayak Porob, the Mapusa-based lawyer who blew the lid off this lawyer-police nexus several months ago.
Porob had boldly put down contours of the modus operandi on paper in complaints he filed before several top State authorities including the Governor, the Director-General of Police and the Chief Secretary among others.
Porob had alleged that Wakalatnamas of handpicked advocates are kept at police stations and investigating officers (IOs) compel accused in their custody to appoint a particular advocate for their court battles and pocket part of the advocate's fees as 'commissions'.
"The IOs and some advocates are operating a syndicate to extort money from helpless accused detained in police custody" Porob had said.
Now, after the police wrote to Porob to assist the probe with specific details, the latter has refused to get drawn in but has suggested research and analysis of bail applications and proceedings in Goa's lower courts over the last 5-6 years.
Porob has also asked the police to probe call records of lawyers and police officers who pair up as IOs and defence lawyers most commonly in these criminal courts' proceedings.
He has suggested the same investigative procedure for the police says in remand applications and also in the case of IOs filing chargesheets for prosecution.
The nexus is more prevalent in cases involving accused persons who are not of Goan origin, Porob has hinted in his written communication to the police on Friday.
