PANAJI
The prosecution’s decision to make a Customs Assistant Commissioner the lone target in an alleged procurement conspiracy came under sharp scrutiny of the High Court of Bombay at Goa, which questioned how the case could stand when the Customs Commissioner and other members of the Purchase Committee were left out.
The Bench of Justice Valmiki Menezes, in a judgment pronounced on Wednesday, quashed the corruption case against Mohan Kapse, Charudatta Ozarkar and Saira Shaikh, while confirming Nagma Shaikh’s discharge. The State’s revision was also dismissed.
The court also held
that cognizance of the Prevention of Corruption Act offences was taken on April 29, 2022 without prior
Section 19 sanction.
The sanction was granted on May 5 and produced before the trial court on June 1.
The CBI alleged that between 2017 and 2019, Kapse conspired with Ozarkar, with 114 work orders issued, 80 without tender procedure, to four fictitious firms. Nagma and Saira were accused of creating forged documents to facilitate the contracts.
The High Court found no prima facie material establishing the alleged Prevention of Corruption Act offences or conspiracy and quashed the cognisance and charges.
