the goan I network
MARGAO
The fate of Francis Pereira alias Boy, who is accused by the Goa Police in the host of cross desecration cases, hangs in balance on the question of his externment from South Goa as the South District Magistrate capped arguments in the externment case on Friday.
After hearing arguments advanced by Public Prosecutor V G Costa on behalf of the Goa Police and defence lawyer, Adv Eric Coutinho, District Magistrate, South Anjali Sehrawat will pronounce her orders on the application made by the Goa Police to extern Francis Pereira from the South Goa district.
The South Goa district police chief, SP Arvind Gawas had moved the District Magistrate in March last to extern Francis Pereira from South Goa district on grounds that he has been involved in serious crimes several times and continues with his criminal activities with impunity. In his report, the SP, South had pointed out that Francis has been constantly and regularly figuring adversely on police report for his acts of lawlessness. Moreover, SP Gawas had contended that Francis along with his associates has been posing constant hazard in the maintenance of public peace in the locality and his movements are causing alarm and fear in the minds of the public that there are reasonable grounds to believe that he may engage in commissioning of cognizable and non-bailable offences.
What’s interesting to note was the fact that the District Magistrate in her show cause notice had stated that she is prima facie satisfied that it will not be possible to curb Pereira’s unlawful activities and preventing him from committing breach of peace and public order with the provisions of ordinary law, unless he is removed from the jurisdiction of South Goa district under the Goa Maintenance of Public Order and Safety Act, 1988.
“The preventive measures initiated against him have reportedly not been sufficient in controlling and preventing his criminal activities. The witnesses are also reportedly reluctant to come forward to give evidence against him on account of intimidation and threats given by him,” the District Magistrate stated in her show cause notice issued to Francis.
Defence lawyer, Adv Eric Coutinho, however, has begged to differ. In his arguments before the District Magistrate, Adv Coutinho stated that the accused was convicted in only one case, that too 18 years ago and wondered whether Francis is a threat to society in connection with an offence that occurred in 2000.
Moreover, he argued that the Goa Police had registered the desecration cases against unknown persons, adding that the police sought to implicate Francis in these cases, only to be discharged by the courts in around 10 out of 11 cases pertaining to Salcete taluka.
Francis has been discharged in around a dozen cases of desecrations by the courts for want of evidence. A couple of desecration cases are pending against him in the courts at Quepem, Sanguem and Canacona.
