the goan I network
MARGAO
More than a year after the formalin row broke out in the wholesale fish market after FDA office Iva Fernandes confirmed presence of chemical in fish imported from across the border, the court will finally decide whether the Goa police should investigate the July 12, 2018, episode or not.
Curtains finally come down on the arguments in the formalin-in-fish case on Tuesday, with the complainant Adv Rajiv Gomes exuding confidence that the court would order the police to register a FIR in the formalin case, even as senior public prosecutor Subhash Desai prayed to the court to dismiss the complaint, which is devoid of merits.
The complainant and the prosecution have concluded their respective arguments in support of their contentions and the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Margao, has fixed the case for orders on September 12.
While Adv Gomes pointed out there cannot be any presence of formalin in fish, the public prosecutor argued that formalin is a natural breakdown product found in most marine fishes.
Even as Adv Gomes claimed that formalin is a poison, posing threat to fish-eating Goans, PP Subhash Desai insisted that only ingestion of large amount of formalin can cause ailments such as vomiting, abdominal pain, renal injury etc.
While complainant Adv Gomes maintained that the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) office had noted down the registration numbers of the vehicles that had brought the fish into the wholesale fish market on July 12, 2018, PP Subhash contended that neither names of persons were reflected in the complaint lodged by Adv Gomes nor it contained
any details regarding the incident.
PP Subhash further went on to argue that the complaint lodged by the city-based lawyer is sketchy and was not supported by any relevant documentation suggesting presence of formalin in the fish on July 12, 2018.
The prosecution further contended that the analytical report of scientific officer Chandrakant Kambli with regard to the fish tested by him was negative and was not supporting contents of the complaint lodged by the lawyer, adding that the FDA is the proper authority to deal with unscrupulous traders and suppliers selling noxious fish or food.
Adv Gomes, however, exuded confidence that the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class, Margao, would grant his prayer to issue direction to the Goa police to register an FIR against the
fish mafia and go deep into the case.
“It is important to go deep into the formalin in fish row to expose the unscrupulous agents bringing in fish into Goa laced with formalin,”
he added.
The city-based lawyer had moved the JMFC, Margao, seeking directions to the Goa police to register the FIR after the Fatorda police turned down his plea to investigate the formalin-in-fish row and bring the unscrupulous fish agents to book.
