PANAJI
The Bombay High Court at Goa has asked petitioners Hanumant Parab and Floyd Coutinho, who both alleged harassment by deputy Superintendent of Police Sagar Ekoskar, to instead approach the State Police Control Authority (SPCA) with the complaints.
“We do not propose to go into the rival contentions. Therefore, we neither accept the allegations in the petition nor denial in the affidavit (filed by the Police). This is because we propose to relegate the Petitioner if he chooses to the State Police Complaint Authority (SPCA),” the Bombay High Court at Goa bench of Justices M S Sonak and R N Laddha observed.
“We decline to entertain the present petition but at the same time grant the Petitioner liberty to take out the matter before the SPCA by filing appropriate proceedings, should the Petitioner desire to do so. If the Petitioner indeed files proceedings before the SPCA, we are sure that the same will be disposed of expeditiously,” the High Court ruled.
Similarly in the petition filed by Parab, the high court ruled that “for reasons set out in the said order (in Coutinho’s case), we relegate even the present Petitioner to availing the remedy before the SPCA should the Petitioner so desire.”
Coutinho had alleged that Ekoskar, who was back then a Police Inspector in the Maina Curtorim police station had demanded a bribe of Rs 10-lakh failing which he would implicate Coutinho in a false case.
Parab, on the other hand, alleged that he was manhandled and harassed by Ekoskar when he was protesting against mining in April this year in blatant violation of his rights as a citizen.
The High Court passed its orders after first making sure that the SPCA is fully constituted and functional.
Government Advocate Pravin Faldesai told the Court, "The SPCA is not only fully constitutional but the same is functional in all respects.”
