the goan I network
MARGAO
The post of Special Judicial Magistrate for Salcete taluka has fallen vacant with the one-year stint of incumbent officer, Public Prosecutor V G Costa, coming to an end on August 13.
Not only was the Special Judicial Magistrate empowered to dispose off cases under the Motor Vehicles Act, but is appointed as an officer to conduct identification parades and to record confessional statements as well as record dying declarations.
Sources in the know informed that though the outgoing SJM has expressed his willingness to preside over the post for yet another year, the vacant post will be filled up only upon the sanction from the Bombay High Court.
Given that the SJM post has fallen vacant, the traffic police will have no option but to forward the motor vehicle cases before the Judicial Magistrate First Class courts in Margao for disposal.
Sources in the know informed that the SJMs were created for the speedy disposal of the MV cases given that the JMFCs are overburdened with a whole lot of criminal cases. In the meantime, SJM V G Costa had disposed of around 1603 cases during the last one year, making the state exchequer richer by Rs 23.79 lakh.
While an amount of Rs 23.13 lakh was collected by way of fines and penalties by disposing of 1603 cases, an amount of Rs 65,450 was collected by physically going on the roads to check traffic violations in the city.
Statistics show that by disposing of 1603 cases, for the period between September 2018 to August 2019, the Special Judicial Magistrate collected fines from traffic violations, amounting to Rs 23,79,400.
