PANAJI/MAPUSA
A Mapusa court has directed Revenue Minister Jennifer Monserrate and Panaji MLA, Anatasio (Babush) Monserrate to remain present in the court on December 6 in the 2008 Panaji police station attack case trial.
The Additional Sessions Judge, Sherin Paul has issued notices to the Monserrate couple and 35 other accused to be present and explain why the trial against them in the Panaji police station attack case should not be resumed.
Last week, the High Court of Bombay at Goa had reserved the order on the petitions filed by the Monserrates and other accused seeking quashing of the proceedings in the case.
After hearing the arguments in the case which concluded on Nov 30, Justice Manish Pitale had reserved his order in the case.
Interestingly, along with the Monserrates the 35 others who are in the list of accused in the case include two former CCP mayors -- Tony Rodrigues and Uday Madkaikar -- both of who have switched camps to the Congress.
Current Taleigao sarpanch Janu Rosario besides several other former panchas of Taleigao and councillors of the CCP also figure in the list.
In February 2008, Babush Monserrate, then MLA of Taleigao had led a morcha before the Panaji police station demanding release of his supporter, who had allegedly been roughed up by the cops inside the lockup, had turned violent.
The CBI had chargesheeted the Monserrates and others in the case.
Adv Aires Rodrigues, who is the intervener in the case, in a recent letter petition had brought to the attention of the High Court that the case against the politicians in the State was dragging for a very long time, in spite of the concern expressed by the Supreme Court about criminalization of politics.
According to Rodrigues, the stay of the criminal trial granted by the High Court in 2014 has continued for seven long years contrary to a Supreme Court order.
He said any stay granted by the High Court expires in six months and unless extension is granted, the trial must go ahead.
