PANAJI
The Additional Sessions Court at Merces has directed the Valpoi police to give at least three days’ notice to the accused in the alleged mob violence outside the Honda Police Outpost if their custodial interrogation or arrest becomes necessary during the ongoing investigation.
While disposing of 13 anticipatory bail applications, Additional Sessions Judge-1 Bosco G F Roberts noted that the applications had been pending since October 2025 and that notices under Section 35(b) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) had already been served on the applicants.
The court observed that the applicants had been cooperating with the investigation and had earlier been granted interim protection.
The accused have been charged with unlawful assembly, criminal trespass, criminal intimidation, assault, and damaging the first informant’s vehicle outside the Honda Police Outpost.
During the hearing, the prosecution informed the court that the investigating officer had been transferred. It also alleged that one applicant had interfered with the first informant, following which a show-cause notice was issued.
The court said that if the investigating agency later found custodial interrogation or arrest necessary, the accused must first be given at least three days’ notice so they could seek legal relief. It also directed them not to influence witnesses, tamper with evidence, and to continue cooperating with the investigation.
