PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa on Thursday granted additional time to the convicts in the 2006 kidnapping and murder of Mandar Surlakar to file their written submissions in the petitions arising out of the case.
The Division Bench of Justices Neela Gokhale and Amit Jamsandekar directed that written submissions, notes and chronology of events be filed on or before July 13.
“The learned Counsel representing the respective parties shall file their written submissions/notes/chronology of events on or before 13.07.2026. List on 13.07.2026 at 4:30 p.m. under the caption ‘For Directions,” the Bench ordered after hearing the matter at length.
The petitions have been filed by convicts Rohan Pai Dhungat, Shankar Tiwari and Ryan Pinto, along with other parties connected to the case, including Jovita Ryan Dos Remedios Pinto, who is presently undergoing sentence at the Central Jail in Colvale.
During an earlier hearing, counsel for Dhungat had submitted that he had completed 14 years of imprisonment, including the period spent on parole, and was eligible for consideration of premature release.
The court was informed that the State Sentence Review (SSR) Board had recommended consideration of Dhungat’s release and sought various reports. However, the Presiding Officer of the Children’s Court, which had convicted him, opposed the proposal, following which the State government rejected his application for premature release.
In December 2025, the High Court quashed the State government’s August 20, 2025 order rejecting Dhungat’s plea, observing that the government had failed to properly consider the recommendation of the SSR Board. The matter is presently under further consideration before the High Court.
