the goan I network
MARGAO
The ongoing trials in several mining cases, as well as corruption cases, before the designated court in south have come to a halt since the demise of the Special Public Prosecutor G D Kirtani, this despite the fact government constituting a panel to ensure sensitive mining cases do not end in the discharge of the accused on technical grounds.
The mining and corruption cases involving politicians and officials have come to a halt for want of a government pleader or a Special Public Prosecutor to represent the state before the court.
Adv Kirtani had been appearing for the government in these cases, before he took ill and later died.
Sources in the South Goa Sessions Court inform the proceedings in the mining and corruption cases have not
made much headway over the last two months.
Officials of the SIT are believed to have conveyed to the trial court that the government process is underway to appoint a new Special Public Prosecutor to represent the state in the mining cases, while seeking adjournments.
All the mining cases were transferred to the south by the Manohar Parrikar government by notifying the Additional Sessions Court as the designated court to try the mining cases. Since then, Adv G D Kirtani had been appearing for the state.
Interestingly, when The Goan contacted the regular public prosecutors attached to the South Goa Sessions Court to find out whether they have been authorized before the designated court to appear for the state, they all answered in the negative.
In fact, a senior public prosecutor informed that they have not received any written instructions from the office of the Director of Prosecution to appear before the designated court on behalf of the state.
The Goan understands that the state administration has set in motion the process to find a replacement for Adv Kirtani. Officials, however, could not exactly state when the government would shortlist a new SPP.
Sources in the know, however, said that the government may issue instructions to the regular public prosecutors attached to the South Goa Sessions Court to appear in the mining cases as a stop-gap arrangement before the government zeroes in on the SPP.
Interestingly, while the government was quick to engage Senior Public Prosecutor Subhash Desai, attached to the South Goa Sessions Court, to represent the state before the Margao JMFC in the formalin case in place of Adv Kirtani, when the special Public prosecutor was indisposed, no such decision has been taken in respect of the mining and corruption cases.
