PANAJI
In a major embarrassment to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the ongoing criminal trial into the Panaji police station attack has exposed the specialized agency’s utter negligence in keeping a crucial case paper intact.
When the matter came up for hearing on Tuesday, the Principal District & Sessions Judge Sherin Paul was visibly upset over CBI’s alleged unprofessionalism as it failed to submit the original copy of First Information Report (FIR) despite two opportunities.
The Court had sought the FIR copy during its last hearing on November 8 when the prosecution expressed its inability to produce the document. Allowing time, Judge Paul adjourned the matter by three weeks, to November 29, Tuesday.
The trial, which has been listed as a priority, further took a back seat when on Tuesday morning the CBI prosecutor once again sought time. To this, Judge Paul granted half an hour but the investigating officers still didn’t manage to get the original FIR copy.
During the last hearing, the Court had to stall the hearing half-way after CBI conveyed it did not carry the FIR copy.
Upset with CBI’s attitude towards the case, the Court has now granted a final opportunity to produce the official document failing which it will impose a fine on the CBI for its “lethargy.” The Court slammed the CBI for delaying the trial that has to be completed within one year, as per the directions of the High Court of Bombay at Goa.
Minister Atanasio Monserrate and his supporters including two ex-Mayors attended the trial in person.
After a charge sheet filed by the CBI in 2014, the case was pending in the High Court for seven years. On December 22, 2021, Justice Manish Pitale in a 31-page judgment directed that trial should commence and be expedited while the Bench dismissed the applications of the accused seeking quashing of proceedings against them.
The CBI, in its charge sheet stated that they gathered relevant evidence such as bottles and stones which were brought to Panaji from Taleigao by the mob involved in the ‘planned’ attack.
In its trial till date, Goa police have maintained that Minister Monserrate and his supporters instigated a mob to take the law into their hands and hinted at ‘killing’ three persons who allegedly assaulted one Ryan Godinho in 2008. It led to the attack on Panaji police station on February 19, 2008 wherein several policemen were injured.
“The morcha was addressed by Babush Monserrate and Tony Rodrigues, Uday Madkaikar and other active members. Their speeches were inflammatory and instigative. They demanded suspension of the PI (former Panaji PI Sudesh Naik) over his inaction on a complaint by Godinho against Paulo, Imtiyaz and Mosin Tosim,” complainant PI Tushar Lotlikar deposed during the last hearing. Lotlikar was a PSI attached with The Panaji PS when the incident occurred.
The unruly mob also pelted missile-like stones, broken glass bottles and other articles to hurt the police personnel who were deployed to control the situation sans riot-gear.
The trial court was also informed that an appeal by the police and then Panaji sub-divisional magistrate Sabaji Shetye to maintain peace was not heeded by the unruly mob and that SDM was forced to fire three rounds in the air.
