PANAJI
The Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) has given a clean chit to a catering contractor accused of providing unhygienic food to 5,000 police personnel during the BRICS Summit in 2016.
In its findings, the Commission stated that there is insufficient evidence to substantiate the violation of human rights of the police personnel during the international event. As a result, Acting Chairperson Desmond D’Costa and Member Pramod Kamat lifted the Commission’s earlier interim order withholding payment of Rs 51.60 lakh to M/s Amoncar Classic Caterers.
“The Commission finds that no material has come on record bringing out the violation of human rights of the Police personnel during the BRICS Summit by Respondent No. 3 (M/s Amoncar Classic Caterers), as the Contractor appointed by Respondent No. 2 (Director General of Police),” reads the order, issued on Monday.
According to a complaint filed by Advocate Aires Rodrigues on October 14, 2016, the police personnel deployed on BRICS duty were forced to work for long hours in inhuman conditions without food, water and toilet facilities.
The proceedings were disposed of by the Inquiry Report dated April 30, 2019, which was subsequently challenged by the catering contractor before the High Court of Bombay at Goa. The Writ Petition was disposed of on February 18, 2020, quashing the GHRC’s report and the matter was reverted to this Commission for adjudication after affording reasonable opportunity to the parties.
The Commission, in its order, observed that the complainant sought to examine six witnesses but none of them had been examined and in consequence, no evidence has been produced to support his case of unhygienic food being supplied to the police personnel during the BRICS Summit.
