the goan I network
MARGAO
Asserting that Goa is facing an unusual situation wherein a complainant as well as an accused are members of the Goa Cabinet, which may create hurdles in the free and fair trial in the power scam case, the Congress on Thursday demanded that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar should get his Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho to resign or sack him from the Cabinet before the next date of hearing scheduled on July 13.
The Congress further demanded that the government should appoint a Special Public Prosecutor to conduct the case in the Power scam to ensure there’s no dilution in the prosecution case.
Addressing the media in the presence of district president Joe Dias, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) Girish Chodankar said the time has come for Chief Minister to walk the talk and either ask Mauvin to quit office or get him sack to ensure a free and fair trial in the power case.
“When Parrikar was in the opposition, he had demanded that Congress get Dayanand Narvekar resign when trial in the fake Cricket ticket case had commenced. In the instant case, the Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar is a complainant and Mauvin the Panchayat Minister an accused in the Power case, are members of the same Cabinet. I do not think that we can get justice in the case.
Parrikar had in the past had hyped his career by demanding Narvekar’s resignation. The time has come to walk the talk and ensure free and fair trial”, Girish said, demanding that Mauvin Godinho should not be in the Cabinet till the completion of the trial.
Moreover, Girish reminded Parrikar of the 2014 SC order advising the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers that a chargesheeted minister should not remain in the Cabinet.
On the question of ensuring a free and fair trial, the state Congress president pointed out that special public prosecutors are appointed even in small cases, while demanding a special public prosecutor in the power scam case. “A Special Public prosecutor is all the more important in the Power scam case when the complainant is the state’s Chief Minister and the accused a Panchayat Minister”, he said, adding that the Chief Minister should order appointment of special public prosecutor before the next date of trial scheduled on
July 13.
