MARGAO
Leader of the Opposition, Babu Kavlekar’s anticipatory bail application was on Thursday disposed off with the South Goa Sessions Court declining to hear the bail plea for want of jurisdiction.
Sessions Judge, B P Deshpande, however, extended the interim bail to the Leader of the Opposition till March 8, to facilitate him to move
the anticipatory bail application before the North Goa Sessions Court.
The Sessions Court order on Kavlekar’s anticipatory bail application on the point of jurisdiction means that the Quepem MLA has seven clear days at his disposal to move the doors of the North Goa Sessions Court with the anticipatory bail application since the court has extended his interim bail till March 8.
Though the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has not made its stand clear whether the investigating agency requires the Leader of the Opposition in their custody since it had only challenged the jurisdiction of the court in hearing his anticipatory bail plea, it is apparent that the investigating agency, sources said,
may ask for Kavlekar’s custody for further investigations in the case.
“The ACB has not filed the main reply in Babu Kavlekar’s bail application for the simple reason that we have only challenged the South Goa Sessions Court’s jurisdiction to hear the bail plea. Our stand will be known once the Leader of the Opposition files the bail plea in the North Goa Sessions Court,” an ACB official told The Goan.
The ACB had challenged Kavlekar’s bail plea on the ground of jurisdiction of the court to hear the application for the simple reason that the investigating agency had registered the FIR against the Leader of the Opposition in Panaji for the offences alleged to have been committed by the applicant took place when he was the Chairman of the Goa Industrial Development Corporation, whose office is located in the State capital.
While senior High Court lawyer, Adv Surendra Desai had maintained that the South Goa Sessions Court had jurisdiction in hearing the bail plea on grounds that most of the properties in question allegedly to have been acquired by Kavlekar are situated in South Goa, ACB’s senior counsel G B Nadkarni had effectively countered the argument on ground whether the investigating agency will be required to register a FIR in other states or countries in the event the applicant has acquired properties around the country and the globe.
