THE CASESPANAJI: News maker for his anti-Casino stance over the weekend, Panaji MLA Atanasio (Babush) Monserrate is again set to hit the headlines on Monday with courts in the capital city slated to pass orders in two crucial matters - the 2016 case rape of a minor and last Friday's molestation case in the fracas with casino employees.
>> Alleged rape of a minor in 2016
>> Last Friday's molestation case in fracas with casino employees
In the alleged rape case of 2016, which was raked up by his opponents during the campaign for the Panjai by-election, Monserrate was chargesheeted last year under section 376 of IPC for rape and also under the POSCO Act. He was booked in 2016 for allegedly raping the victim, after drugging her.
The court had heard arguments on the question of framing of charges and is now likely to either charge him of the offences and commit the case for trial to the Sessions Court or possibly discharge him altogether.
Interestingly, the case was in the news in the run-up to the May 19 elections after nuns who run the rehabilitation home in South Goa where the victim was lodged reported that she was missing. The victim was however traced a day after the polling for the Panjim bye-election at the house of her friend in Mapusa.In the second case, the court is expected to pass orders on Monserrate's anticipatory bail plea which he filed after Panaji police booked him for molestation on a complaint of a female casino functionary who was involved in a verbal confrontation with the lawmaker.
Two of Monserrate's political associates, CCP Mayor Uday Madkaikar and former mayor Yatin Parekh who were accompanying him were also booked and have also filed bail pleas seperately.
The trio were present when CCP workers had launched an operation on Friday last to clear a part of a the recently inaugurated Big Daddy off-shore Casino's front office facade which allegedly encroached on the footpath.
A confrontation ensued between employees of the Casino and the CCP officials in which Monserrate got dragged in and the issue snowballed with a woman filing a complaint and the Panjim police booking an FIR against the MLA, the mayor and the ex-mayor.
