PANAJI
The Crime Branch (CB) on Thursday arrested noted lawyer and President of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Goa Amit Palekar in connection with the fatal accident at Banastarim on August 6. The arrest was made on charges of allegedly attempting to mislead the police by planting a dummy car driver named Ganesh Lamani.
Both their arrest soon witnessed Opposition parties condemning the move that came in almost a month after the accident.
However, an interesting twist followed when both the accused were granted interim bail by the Additional Sessions Court in Ponda, in an order pronounced late Thursday night. In fact the bail applications were filed around one hour after the arrest and the notice to the Crime Branch was issued at about 5:30 pm for its reply. The CB sought time for making it's submission, as a result of which the matter has been postponed for hearing to Friday afternoon.
According to the ongoing investigation, Lamani, a former driver for the family of the prime accused, Shripad Sinai Sawardekar alias Paresh, was allegedly planted at the scene of the crime.
Reports indicated that on the fateful evening of August 6, the dummy driver was taken to the police station and shown as the driver of the killer Mercedes Benz responsible for the accident. Palekar's role came to light when he was seen with the main accused driver and his wife at a rotary club party in Ponda on August 6. The accident that occurred after the party, resulted in fatalities and injuries.
While calls to arrest Meghana, the wife of the prime accused, were growing as witnesses claimed she was driving the car under the influence of alcohol, initial investigation team being Mardol police arrested Paresh citing drunken driving.
He was granted bail more than a week ago, and Meghana was also granted anticipatory bail.
Palekar, whose role had been a subject of extensive debate, denied any interference in the matter. AAP leaders contended that Palekar was taken from his residence to the CB for interrogation, where he was subsequently arrested.
Sources said that he was placed under arrest around 4pm when during the interrogation, he could not give satisfactory reply to questions by Crime Branch.
During the hearing, the applicants' claimed that the arrest was a political vendetta while Crime Branch insisted for his custody.
Meanwhile, earlier on being taken for medical, Palekar claimed he is being falsely implicated in the case for refusing to bow down to 'pressures' from the BJP to join the ruling party. "This is absolutely dirty politics to taint my image," he told the media.
Palekar, who was the Chief Minister's face of the AAP in the 2022 general assembly elections in Goa, was arrested under sections 201 (destruction of evidence) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code while Lamani is facing charges under sections 279 (reckless driving), 202 (intentional omission to give information of an offense by a person legally bound to inform), 338 (causing hurt by an act which endangers human life), among other sections of the IPC.
